The central South American country of Paraguay has signed an international cooperation agreement with Brazil and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with the aim of combating the pest weevil that has been damaging the cotton fields in the country, and increasing cotton production.
According to a statement issued by the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Relations (MRE), the agreement ‘Strengthening Cooperation Program of the Cotton Sector through South-South Cooperation’ was signed between Paraguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Eladio Loizaga, United Nations (UN) resident coordinator in Paraguay Dona Cecilia Ugaz and Fernando Jose Marroni de Abreu, director general of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) at the MRE office in the Paraguayan capital city of Asuncion.
The program forms part of the Paraguayan Government’s efforts to revive the cotton sector of the country in order to make it as an income generating crop for farm families in Paraguay, through establishing various policies that could improve the production capacity and provide technical assistance to cotton growers in the nation.
Under the agreement, the program would be funded by the Brazilian Cotton Institute (IBA) through the ABC and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), with a total budget of US$ 2.03 million.
Minister Eladio Loizaga expressed gratitude on behalf of Paraguayan Minister of Agriculture Jorge Gattini and said that the cooperation agreement signed between the two countries is the most important, since it is a project that would be beneficial to the rural families.
The signing of the agreement demonstrates the commitments of the Governments of Brazil and Paraguay towards developing the cotton industry that could lead to further development of the textile industry in the country, he added.
Mr. Fernando Jose Marroni de Abreu of ABC, said the framework of the South-South Cooperation aims to implement family farming in Paraguay as well as revive the cotton sector of the country, especially combating the weevil pest that has been destroying the crop.
