Twenty-nine horticultural groups from Aileu municipality have signed a Momerandum of Understanding (MoU) with several large supermarkets with the purpose of strengthening cooperation between farmers and consumers.
The participating supermarkets include Dili Mart, W-Four, Kmanek and Casa Fresca.
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Environment (MCIE) Constancio Pinto said the agreement comes in response to farmers’ demands for better access to markets, which has continued to be a serious challenge for them.
The Minister urged farmers to make the most of the technical support provided by international agencies like USAID’s Advance Agriculture project to gain access to more information and new technology to increase their
production as the markets were now available.
“When we make an agreement with a company to purchase our products, we have to ensure that there will be ongoing products,” Pinto said at the signing of the MoU at Timor Rai-klaran in Aileu.
As the market is dynamic, he said supermarkets and farmers should also be realistic about the price they expect for their products.
In the past, Timor-Leste imported a large amount of horticultural products from other countries, but that has since decreased in recent years as more products have become available from farmers in the municipalities.
The MCIE plans to discuss with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) about placing extension officers at a grassroots level to provide technical assistance to groups.
Supermarket Representative Rosito Barros appealed to farmers to work more diligently and grow a wider range of vegetables as there was a demand for greater variety.
“We always discuss the price with them because what we want is to have a win-win solution, with not only consumers or farmers getting the benefit,” Baros said.
Supermarkets need two tons of vegetables a day in order to meet customer needs and Baros hopes the MoU will encourage farmers to expand their farms and grow more vegetables
Farmer Filomena Mendonca Araujo said she was willing to put greater efforts into responding to market demands.
“My group grows a variety of vegetables such as eggplants, cauliflowers, zucchini and so forth on a more than 2.5-acre plot of land,” she said.
Each group receives a monthly payment of more than $120, which members use to cover their children’s school fees and other basic needs.
Through the Advance Agriculture project horticultural groups in Aileu municipality have received training and technical support in how to use new technology and set up irrigation systems during the dry season.
