FYII
source China Times
2000.08.18¡@1:35am Taiwan time updated
Chen to Be Welcomed to Gambia with Produce From
Taiwan-Assisted Farms
Banjul, Gambia, Aug. 16 (CNA) Republic of China President Chen
Shui-bian is expected to be accorded with not only
a formal military salute, but also a welcome kiss offered by the
most beautiful lady in Gambia when he arrives in the
capital of Banjul on Sunday.
The lady is a representative from a Gambian women's group which in
recent years has been up-and-coming, gaining its
reputation through the planting of vegetables that have contributed
to improving Gambian families' economic situation.
When Chen and his 200-member entourage fly into Banjul from Costa
Rica on Sunday, the first ROC head of state to
ever visit the African country will be welcomed with a long line of
tables covered with fresh vegetables and fruits
cultivated at farms in the suburbs of Banjul under the technical
guidance of members of an ROC agricultural mission.
The ROC agro-tech mission has helped develop four model vegetable
farms near Banjul, with members of 300 local
households taking part as planters.
The four model farms, on a combined tract of 40 hectares, have
marketed produce which immediately earned a
reputation for the planters in the second harvest. Orders have even
come from England and Ireland for the vegetables,
said Chen Yi-sung, chief of the ROC agro-tech mission.
The harvests have not only improved the households' incomes, but
have also turned the farms into a sort of tourist
attraction in recent months, Chen added.
Apart from the planting technique, the ROC mission also applied
Taiwan's precious experience in organizing farmers'
cooperatives to the Gambian planters, allowing them to organize
their own cooperatives to serve farmers in various
fields, Chen noted.
From the cooperative, Chen said, the planters acquire high-quality
seeds imported from Taiwan, fertilizers, and other
needed equipment and materials.
With one-fourth of the profits derived from every sale of the
vegetables being channeled into the cooperative bank, the
farmers will have enough funds to acquire new farm machinery, to
maintain the land, and to secure a good public
irrigation system.
In addition, Chen said, the cooperative offers low-interest soft
loans to the planters and also scholarships to help
promote education for the children of farmers.
Commenting on the achievements of the ROC agro-tech mission, ROC
Ambassador to Gambia Lee Chen-hsiung, who
was largely instrumental in arranging the ROC mission to lead the
Gambian model vegetable farm development, said
the vegetable plantation project has proven to be a quick success in
efforts to promote friendship and to help improve
the locals' livelihoods.
Lee said he is proud that the ROC agro-tech mission has harvested so
much with relatively little effort. He attributed
the achievements to an inspiration he got from the fact that some
four decades ago, the United States granted Taiwan
US$15 billion in aid to help the island develop its own agriculture,
proving to be an important force behind Taiwan's
economic take-off in later years.
China Times Inter@ctive Main Page (in Big-5
Chinese)
Contact us¡[log in to unmask]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
