Brazil signs $20 million agreement to support developing countries
2012-10-17 16:35:56
Brazil signed today a $20 million agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) which will allow for channelling the Brazilian expertise in cotton production to developing countries.
Initially, the for year project will focus on Haiti and South America, while extension to other countries in Latin America or Africa will be possible at a later stage.
The aim of the project is to target participating countries with technical assistance and training in best practices in cotton cultivation and marketing.
The development scheme was financed by 10 million dollars from the Brazilian Cotton Institute and with additional 10 million dollars from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency.
The plans also include a contribution of 200 000 dollars of nonfinancial support from FAO’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
In relation to the newly signed agreement, the FAO Director General, José Graziano da Silva, said: ‘This agreement represents an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of South-South cooperation between developing-world partners as a vehicle for sustainable economic growth’.
Cotton is fundamental to the economies of many developing nations, particularly in West and Central Africa, where around 10 million small farmers depend on the sector for their income. As a result, the sector occupies a strategic position in the development and poverty-reduction strategies of a number of governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
On the other hand, Brazil has a considerable experience in devising new technologies for the cotton production chain, including through cooperative rural development efforts undertaken with other developing-world cotton producers such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali.