TİKA Supports the Colombian National Seed Plan

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided support for the producers as part of the National Seed Program in cooperation with the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation – AGROSAVIA.

As part of the National Seed Program, which encourages the small and medium-sized producers for the intensification of local seed production and usage, TİKA provided agricultural machinery and equipment for 32 cooperatives in cooperation with the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation.

Within the context of TİKA's Program to Support Agricultural and Rural Development in South America, the sustainability of the ecological food production has been increased as a result of the project with the purpose of intensifying the use of local seeds in Colombia, ensuring food safety and improving the production chain. Furthermore, 3,000 farmers directly benefited from the project.

As a result of the research conducted by the Food Sovereignty and Security Center, it has been observed that the COVID-19 pandemic has lowered the purchasing power of households, reduced the quality and the quantity of the food products, and negatively impacted the nutrition and the components of the food supply of the families.

Within the scope of the program, it's aimed to improve the agricultural industry through the intensification of local seed production and usage by implementing strategies for activating food production systems.

Julio Ramírez, the Head of the Agrosavia Seed Department, expressed his gratitude towards TİKA by saying: “Thanks to the support provided by TİKA, 33 farming cooperatives that produce rice, green pea, sugar cane, corn and potato seeds increased their food supply capacity. The equipment provided by TİKA has been delivered to 12 different departments in the country. With this support, our country-wide National Seed Program will be a huge success.”

Osnidi Sierra, President of the Las Pavitas Agriculture and Environment Association, one of the beneficiaries of the project which is located in the town of Caimito in the Sucre Department, said: “We'd like to thank TİKA for their corn granulation equipment support. This equipment added quality to our corn manufacturing process as part of the National Seed Program.”