Source: El Diario de Hoy. El Salvador.
Sunday January 9th, 2011
Written by LUCINDA QUINTANILLA, Journalist.
Morazán with support from Japan
THE USE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER IMPROVES PRODUCTION AND REDUCES
COSTS
The development project financed by JICA in the eastern side of the country is expected to
last for four years.
Julián Argueta is a farmer from
the San Lucas canton located in
the municipality of Gualocoti. He
is among the 200 vegetable
producers who have been, for a
couple of years, increasing their
production while investing less on
the production input.
Argueta’s harvest of the increase
is equal to a 50 percent more than
the one obtained 3 years prior,
but what cheers him the most is
the fact that he invested 20 percent less than in 2007.
He uses organic fertilizers to improve the quality of his products. These are the
achievements that have been seen by Argueta and another 199 farmers in San Miguel,
Usulután and La Unión over the last 2 years, ever since they enrolled in the project for the
support of “Pequeños Agricolas”1 from the eastern side of the country (Propa-oriente).
Such support is given by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in all of the
eastern side of the country.
In Gualococti, JICA supports 12 farmers with the application of new skills for the production
of vegetables, an example of good quality at low cost.
“For about two years JICA has been training us on how to make our own organic fertilizer
and how to make our harvest somewhat cleaner” Argueta said.
Among the suggested techniques is the reduction of chemicals, which serves to have a
contamination free production.
1
Literally meaning: Small farmers
Many farmers assure that they have been growing vegetables for more than 14 years, but it
was not until two years ago that they learned “the new ways of farming”.
The Japan Cooperation Agency has not only given them training that goes from the
production to the marketing process of the vegetables, but it has also provided inputs such
as seeds, irrigation equipment and all what is necessary to produce organic fertilizer
without overspending.
This situation has led the 200 farmers not to get affected directly by the increase on the
price of the agricultural inputs in the present year.
JICA has even trained them to not just produce their products but to sell them as well.
This support has been well used, because now the farmers, from municipalities such as
San Isidro, Osicala, Meanguera y Jocaitique, have established their own agricultural market
in San Isidro where they sell to the end-user.
Santos Bonilla is another farmer who affirms that through the support given to them by
JICA, they have managed to establish themselves as producers and distributors.
He also mentions that they used to conform on just selling the vegetables to resellers who
kept a huge part of the profit, now however they can sell their products directly to the enduser in the agricultural market, obtaining more profit and offering a cheaper price to their
clients. Everybody wins.
“We know we have big competitors in various markets because many vegetables come
from Honduras or Nicaragua and they offer a lower price” he said, “but we sell quality to the
consumers” he added emphatically.
A HEALTHY TOMATO is produced at a low cost in areas that
receive assistance from the Japanese Cooperation. Due to this
they are able to improve their selling prices.
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
What we bring is the desire to work and have each producer make
something sustainable out of their crops.
SHINICHI KONDO, Director of PROPA-Oriente Project, at the Eastern
region.
Another important element of the project is that the farmers prepared by JICA are now
training other farmers from the same area to run on the new farming techniques.
Shinchi Kondo, chief advisor of the Propa-Oriente Project, explained “We do not bring
money to just give it away to the peasants, because if it were only money, these projects
wouldn’t last”.
The Propa-Oriente Project deals with more than 200 vegetables producers in the four
departments from the eastern side.
Nevertheless, the Japan Cooperation Agency expects to extend the project to around two
thousand farmers this year.