The United
Nations' Food and Agriculture Orgarnisation (FAO) has entered into a $20
million, about N3.15 billion worth of agreement with Brazil in a bid to help
developing countries in the production of cotton.
“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,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva while
signing the agreement recently at FAO’s Rome headquarters.
FAO revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement that
the agreement would enable developing nations boost cotton production through
Brazilians’ expertise in the production of cotton.
The agreement
which is a four-year project was signed by the UN special agency, FAO, the
Brazilian Cotton Institute and external cooperation wing of Brazil’s Foreign
Relations Ministry, to see to the technical assistance and training in best
practices in cotton cultivation and its marketing.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that the first
phase of the project would be in Haiti and the MERCOSUR zone of South America,
and will later be extended to some other developing countries in Latin America
as well as Africa.
Commenting on
the agreement, FAO Director General, José Graziano da Silva affirmed that the
agreement is an opportunity for the demonstration of effectiveness of the
South-South cooperation among developing-world partners.
According to the
FAO chair, the agreement is a vehicle for sustainable economic growth.
While the
Brazilian Cotton Institute will provide $10 million, about N1.57 billion
financial support for the project with an additional $10 million from the
external cooperation wing of Brazil’s Foreign Relations Ministry, FAO's
Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean will contribute $200 000,
about N31.5 million worth of nonfinancial support.
The FAO's
nonfinancial contribution, NaijaAgroNet
learnt entails provision of expertise and technical information and mobilising
the agency's international networks for support.
Yinka Awosanya/ED
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