Guinea-Bissau: Beyond cashews and rice
SAN DOMINGOS: Aid agencies are encouraging communities to diversify their agricultural production in Guinea-Bissau, where 90% of farmers grow rice or cashews to survive, making them vulnerable to erratic rainfall and price fluctuations.
“The rains sometimes come very early, sometimes stop very early, so there's a problem with rice,” said the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) programme manager in Guinea-Bissau Rui Fonseca. “And price fluctuations make cashews uncertain…We are telling producers you can continue with rice and cashews but you can plant other things too.”
Farmers can attract more consistent prices with other crops, said Fonseca. Tomatoes and carrots currently sell at US$2.30 per kilogram in the capital Bissau.
