African countries could benefit from a project that aims to share with other countries Brazil’s expertise in cotton cultivation. Cotton growing occupies a strategic position in development policy and poverty reduction programs, and Brazil is the world’s fourth-largest cotton producer and the second-largest global exporter.
The project, called “Supporting the development of the cotton sector through South-South Cooperation”, is promoted by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and will use the experiences and the knowledge available in Brazil to contribute to the growth of the cotton sector in developing nations.
As the world leader in no-till technology in cotton production, Brazil contributes, upon demand from partner countries, to the improvement of cotton productivity in Africa, promoting increased income and access of rural populations to food. “These auctions also contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Daniel Furst, UNDP’s South-South Cooperation program officer.
The project was presented at the 12th Brazilian Cotton Congress (CBA), which takes place this week in Goiânia, one of the states with the largest cotton production in the country. During the event, a space set up by ABC in collaboration with United Nations agencies in Brazil announced this and other projects for the Brazilian cotton producer community.
130 representatives from 16 African partner countries and six Latin American and Caribbean nations participated in the event. “For them, the event establishes the possibility of a network of contacts with small and large producers in Brazil,” reveals Nelci Caixeta, general coordinator for Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East at ABC. According to him, the African and Latin American technicians who participated in the event were able to learn more about the technologies used in the Brazilian territory.