DILI, 01 march 2023 (TATOLI) – The Country Director of Pacific Asia Resource Center Inter People’s Cooperation (PARCIC, Junko Ito, said that currently PARCIC is introducing a new program on growing flowers to the female community in Aileu and Maubisse to help them responds to their flowers demand in the market.
“Based on the observations made by PARCIC, the demand for fresh flowers is very high in Timor – Leste, with this opportunity PARCIC has facilitated 135 females in Aileu and Maubisse to grow fresh flowers to be sold in the market, and the income will be used to buy nutritious food to improve child nutrition,” said Junko Ito at the Japanese Embassy in Pantai Kelapa, Dili, on wednesday.
Junko Ito added, fresh flower cultivation training is currently underway in Aileu and Maubisse and this is a pilot project and will then be expanded to other municipalities in Timor – Leste.
“We do this project to help the women or housewives to supplement their household income, we often promote nutritious foods to be consumed to improve child nutrition in Timor-Leste but mothers do not have enough money to buy nutritious foods, therefore we wish to facilitate them by planting fresh flowers to be sold in the market,” she said.
At the same place, the General Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Maria Odete do Ceu Guterres, appreciates this program and is willing to cooperate with PARCIC to facilitate the housewife to increase their income and improve the quality of children’s nutrition in Timor-Leste through this activity.
“So far fresh flowers have high economic value and are in great demand in the market, therefore we take this opportunity to empower mothers to grow the fresh flowers to be sold in the market,” she said.
PARCIC, a Japanese NGO has been working together with communities in rural areas in Timor – Leste to develop their economy by using local produces.
Since 2002 PARCIC has been training members of a cooperative of coffee producers in Maubisse and Ermera in Timor – Leste, to produce excellent quality coffee beans and link them to international markets.
Started in 2013, PARCIC has been working with women groups in six municipalities (Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro, Covalima, and Liquisa) that process food by using the local ingredient to create the “ Aroma Timor” brand and promote product quality through market promotion.
In 2019, PARCIC expanded its activities in the area of nutrition, an area based on the experiences from the project in the past. PARCIC has established cooperation with women groups in Atauro to produce “ KOHAKAHUR,” rice seasoning made from a mixture of dried fish, moringa, sesame, etc., and introduced to the School Feeding Program in Dili and Ermera municipalities, as well as delivery of cooking training to school feeding program providers.
Meanwhile, all support program budget is facilitated by the Government of Japan through its Embassy in Timor – Leste.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor : Nelia B.
