Above: farmers in Haiti (UN Photo/Logan Abassi)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The United Nations and Brazil have signed a $20 million agreement to support cotton farmers in developing countries, starting with Haiti and other MERCOSUR countries.

The plan aims to transfer Brazil’s expertise in cotton production to Haiti and those states; the programme could eventually expand to other countries in Latin America and Africa.

“This agreement represents an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of South-South cooperation between developing world partners as a vehicle for sustainable economic growth,” said Jose Graziano da Silva, the director general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

The agreement was signed at the FAO’s headquarters in Rome this week.

Of the $20 million in total funding, $10 million will come from the Brazilian Cotton Institute, with another $10 million from the Brazilian Cotton Agency.

The four-year project will look to provide countries like Haiti with technical assistance and training in best practices of cotton cultivation and marketing.