Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Promoting Fruit Growing

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

GUATEMALA CITY, Dec 5 2005 (IPS) - With the aim of developing Guatemala's fruit industry, the government will plant 6,149 new areas with fruit species, announced Alvaro Aguilar, agriculture minister. “With this plan, 3,000 farmers will benefit directly, and it is expected to generate 216,000 workdays during the first year,” he added.

Aguilar told Tierramérica that the initiative is intended “to take on the various free trade treaties” signed by Guatemala with several countries, including the United States and Taiwan. It involves 840,000 lime, lemon, mango, apricot, mandarin, orange and other fruit trees

Japan will contribute 1.6 million dollars to a sub-program for the development of fruit farming for organized producers and the Agriculture Ministry will give 800,000 dollars for support services for harvesting and post-harvest needs of fresh fruits