The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV)’s recently established “Passion Fruit Industry Development” project has sparked a tremendous amount of interest from the agricultural community. There is a sizable influx of people from the city and the district to the various LVV offices for registration as well as phone calls to the LVV-passion fruit hotline for more information.
The availability of plant material, other supplies, and the financing alternatives made available through a partnership between LVV and the National Development Fund for Agribusiness (NOFA) are questions that both new and experienced market gardeners who wish to grow their businesses ask. It is noteworthy that this fund and the Ministry have agreed to pre-finance agro-entrepreneurs for up to a half-hectare without requiring collateral.
The project’s goal is to develop a passion fruit sector that will present several chances for encouraging entrepreneurship in Suriname. The ministry has been working hard to produce plant material to give farmers for some time. Using hybrid seed that produces higher yields than the present type in Suriname, 10,000 plants are currently produced each week. To give the agro-entrepreneurs some fundamental information, books are also distributed together with the plant material. In order to give the farmers the necessary technical direction, the city and district LVV advisers have received training in the growing of passion fruit.
To be eligible for the plant material, applicants must register with the LVV office in their city or district. The registered person must become a member of a cooperative because the government promotes cooperative farming.
Interested parties should contact the LVV headquarters or phone the LVV-passion fruit hotline at contact number 597-7293266 for further information about taking part in this experiment. At the Agricultural Fair, which takes place from 5 to 7 May at Live Entertainment Center, formerly known as the Flamboyant Park, more information will also be provided by both LVV and NOFA.
