Praia, July 19, 2024 (Lusa) - The salinity of the water has reduced banana production in Santa Cruz and the Cabo Verde government has launched a programme to regenerate this crop so that this municipality in Santiago can reinforce its status as the largest producer in the country.
‘Santa Cruz is already [the country's largest banana producer], let it become even more so again,’ said Cabo Verde's Agriculture and Environment Minister Gilberto Silva told journalists in the city of Praia on Friday.
At the beginning of the month, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment launched a programme to regenerate banana plantations on the island of Santiago, with a budget of 102 million escudos (€925,000).
Gilberto Silva said that the programme will benefit farmers in the eastern part of the island of Santiago, specifically in areas of the coast with more saline water, which has caused a reduction in banana production in recent years.
‘We are working with the farmers to have a very clear commitment, and then we will roll up our sleeves to carry out all the agreed activities,’ he said.
According to Gilberto Silva, there is already a nursery ‘full’ of banana plants, chemical fertilisers are already available, work has already begun with the farmers, and the company that will supply the brackish water desalination plants is already being contracted.
The subsidy programme for the regeneration of banana cultivation on the island of Santiago is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It will desalinate the water and introduce new banana plants, as well as improve the crops.
According to the government, the programme includes the import of healthy banana seedlings and small desalination plants, technical assistance, and the proper use of fertilisers.
The goal is to increase productivity and sustain banana cultivation in areas affected by water scarcity and salinity, which also covers the Tarrafal, São Miguel and Ribeira Grande municipalities.
Santiago is Cabo Verde's largest island, with nine municipalities and around 260,000 inhabitants, more than half the country's population (around 500,000).
RIPE/ADB // ADB.
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