Diversification Programmes to Help Farmers in Africa and Latin America
Posted on: Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 03:01 CDT
The Executive Board of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) has approved a grant of US$ 1,795,371 to support an export vegetable programme in Ethiopia and Sudan.
The aim of the project is to help vegetable farmers to produce vegetables to the standards required for export. The project will also help to improve post-harvest processing and marketing.
Green beans and okra will be grown for markets in Europe, the Middle East and neighbouring countries.
Coffee farmers at low altitudes in Mexico are being encouraged to remove their bushes and diversify into other crops.
The CFC is also going to help banana growers in Ethiopia and Sudan. A grant of over $2million will help growers produce bananas organically for export. The project will provide upto-date, vital services and information in a timely fashion for production, post harvest and marketing for effective expansion of organic banana exports. Initially two pilot projects will be set up on 160 hectares, and there will be active participation and training of growers, grower associations, private traders, transport agents and suppliers as well as public sector post-harvest specialists.
Another grant from the CFC will help coffee farmers, below 600 metres above sea level, in Veracruz State, Mexico, to diversify into other crops and thereby increase their incomes.
By the removal of low quality coffee grown in the low laying areas, the remaining high altitude grown coffee will be marketed at a premium and this will improve the image of Mexican Coffee in the world market.
The project aims to encourage the security of tenure of coffee farmers in the target regions and positively discourage migration.
The total cost of the project is over $4 million, and is shared between the CFC, the US government, the government of Mexico and the University of Veracruz.
More information from the Common Fund for Commodities, P O Box 74656, Amsterdam J070, The Netherlands. Fax: + 31206760231; E - mail: Managing.Director@commonfund.org; Web site: www.commonfund.org
Copyright Research Information Ltd. Jun 2005
Source: Appropriate Technology
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