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New Zealand fund to boost Timor-Leste coffee, cocoa production

Xinhua, August 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

The New Zealand government is investing 14.5 million NZ dollars (9.43 million U.S. dollars) to help develop Timor-Leste's coffee and cocoa industry, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Wednesday.

"Coffee is Timor-Leste's largest export after oil and gas, but productivity issues mean the sector performs significantly below its potential," McCully said in a statement.

"Almost 20 percent of Timorese households rely solely on coffee for their income, but tree productivity is less than 20 percent of the global average."

New Zealand's investment over five years was aimed at lifting the overall productivity of the sector and returns to producers.

"The project is expected to create 4,680 new on-farm and seasonal jobs and double the income of 19,000 participating farmers by providing them with greater access to international markets and better prices through a farmers cooperative structure. " Endi