SUAI Farmers Start Earning Incomes
From New Cash Crop

Farmers in the southern district of Suai recently held a harvest ceremony as they started harvesting a new cash crop product, mungbeans, intended mostly for export to Southeast Asian markets. The farmers have all the reason to celebrate as the mungbeans proved hardy enough to survive the heavy rains and flooding that occurred in the early stages of production.

Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Mariano Sabino led the ceremonial first harvest of the new crop.

The farmers thanked USAID for the latter’s assistance in expanding mungbean production. USAID, through its implementing partner Dezenvolve Sétor Privadu (DSP) or “Private Sector Development Project”, has assisted 337 farmers to plant 221 hectares of mungbeans and plans to expand the number of participating farmers for the next growing season.

MAFF Minister Sabino also thanked USAID and DSP for this initiative and urged continued cooperation to expand production.

DSP is assisting farmers with access to seed, training in production and harvesting, seed storage solutions, and linkages to buyers.

Through various projects, USAID is helping farmers diversify their sources of incomes as a strategy to transform the agriculture system from its current subsistence nature to one that is commercially oriented and self-reliant.

Ceremonial first harvest by MAFF Minister, Mariano Sabino, handed to DSP agribusiness specialist, William Bere Ati