Off the wire
• China Focus: World-class bullet trains go global  • Spotlight: New phase of U.S. rebalancing strategy ought to mean peace, stability to Asia-Pacific  • Roundup: HK stocks close 1.22 pct higher  • Cambodian opposition party negotiates release of jailed activists ahead of Khmer New Year  • Lebanese security forces kill two militants in Tripoli  • Kunming Party chief under probe  • Chinese foreign minister to visit South Africa  • Urgent: At least 40 people killed in bus accident in southern Morocco  • Facelift for China's drug control website  • Chinese Grand Prix second free practice times  
You are here: 　 Home

Belgium gives Burundi 22 mln euros to boost agriculture sector

Xinhua, April 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Belgium will give a grant of 22 million euros to Burundi to shore up implementation of the third phase of the Institutional and Operational Support Program for Agriculture Sector (PAIOSA III).

An agreement in this regard was signed on Thursday in Bujumbura by Belgium's ambassador to Burundi Marc Gedopt and Burundi's International Cooperation Minister Laurent Kavakure, in the presence of his Agriculture counterpart Odette Kayitesi.

PAIOSA I was launched in December 2010 with an amount of 13 million euros from the Belgian Technical Cooperation, followed by PAIOSA II in 2011 that was supported by 23 million euros, Kavakure recalled during the signing ceremony.

Kayitesi said the sum of 22 million euros will benefit small scale producers who survive on subsistence farming.

She noted that to date, Belgium's contribution to the three PAIOSA phases has risen to 58 million euros.

"Belgium's support to Burundi's agriculture sector has brought some relief, but it remains insufficient to cover the vast needs in a country where over 90 percent of the population lives on agriculture and where the agriculture sector contributes over 40 percent of the GDP," the agriculture minister said, adding that the country still needs more funds to develop agricultural infrastructures. Endi