PAPAYA EXPORTATION,
PILOT PROJECT FOR SMALL FARMERS
By The TAIWAN TECHNICAL MISSION IN BELIZE
In an effort to promote papaya production for export for small
scale farmers in the Orange Walk District, ROC –Mission
Taiwan, La Immaculada Credit Union Small Scale Enterprise
in Agriculture and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture
& Fisheries, are investing in the establishment of a five acre
papaya demonstration pilot project. This initiative will
provide the opportunity for other farmers throughout the
district to actively participate in the training sessions and
practical field demonstrations. The demonstration plot will
serve as a pilot model for technology transfer (know –how) to
the farming community in the district.
The objectives of the project are:
· To create an investment opportunity in papaya production
for export among small farmers.
· To generate and adopt standard production procedures
for further training of small farmers.
· To further develop the papaya industry in order to
increase foreign exchange generation.
The expected outputs of the project are:
· One five acre plot complete with drip irrigation system.
· One seedling nursery ( size 20 ft x 40ft).
· 500,000 lbs exportable Tainong papaya for the US
market.
· 50 farmers highly trained in Tainong production.
· Fields days to demonstrate papaya production to rural
farmers.
· The possibility of accessing further financing from ICDFTaiwan
and other funding agencies for the establishment
of an additional 30 acres of papayas.
During the project implementation, the Agriculture
Department- Orange Walk- will be supervising the project
implementation in collaboration with Taiwan Mission and
LICU/SSEDAT. Technical support will be carried out by
the ROC Technical Mission & Orange Walk Agriculture
Department.
For more information on this article and other news of Belize please visit the Belize Ag Report Sept. 2010 issue