DILI, 22 september 2022 (TATOLI)- The Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries launched the second phase of the Agriculture for Prosperity or Toos ba Moris Di’ak (TOMAK) program, to help farmers grow nutritious food in three municipalities.
Australian Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Suzy Wilson-Uilelea said that the TOMAK Program supports Timorese farmers in growing local produce such as green vegetables to provide sufficient nutrition for the community to consume.
“We are launching a second TOMAK program to ensure farmers develop their farms by improving the quality of food that contains nutrients and vitamins for their families, children, and communities,” Charge d’Affaires of the Australian Embassy in Suzy Wilson-Uilelea told reporters in City8, Manleuana, Thursday.
Wilson-Uilelea emphasized that they have also provided training for farmers on techniques for growing quality food on their farms.
“We provide agricultural education training on techniques to grow nutritious food to provide nutrition for children, TOMAK also helps farmers to produce vegetables and other products with an integrated science system, to upgrade the traditional way of farmers to modern equipment for growing vegetables using fertilizers soil to produce good quality food.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Abilio Xavier De Araujo said the second phase of the TOMAK program was a continuation of the program that had been implemented from 2016 to 2022.
“We launched the second program of TOMAK as the continuation of the first agricultural program which was launched in 2016 and completed in 2022 while the second program started from 2022 to 2026, in the three municipalities of Bobonaro, Baucau, and Viqueque,” said Araújo.
So far MAF observes that TOMAK has made significant progress through farmer performance. The first phase of the TOMAK program covered 83 villages and benefited 17,000 farmers.
The Tomak Program is funded by the Australian Government for $50 million over ten years.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
