The Netherlands government has pledged $2.4 million to the Colombian banana sector in the form of a public-private partnership, which could be replicated for the coffee and flower sectors, reported newspaper El Colombiano Thursday.
The financial support which will seek to support 685 small-scale banana and plantain producers, was authorized by Harman Idema, deputy ambassador at the Netherlands embassy in Bogota.
Idema said the Netherlands expressed interest in supporting other such initiatives in the coffee and flower sectors. To this end, meetings were held with Fedecafe, the National Federation of Coffee Growers and Asocolflores, the Colombian Association of Flower Exporters.
Banana companies Banacol and Uniban have signed up to the agreement, as has the Colombian government, and have promised to match the Dutch financial support so that in total it doubles to $4.8 million.
The money is to finance the implementation of sustainable and competitive practices so that families in the Uraba, Choco and Magdalena banana-producing regions can improve their way of life.