Bolivia to earmark 25 mln USD for int'l quinoa research center

Bolivia will earmark some 25 million U.S. dollars to build an International Quinoa Center (CIQ) to research and promote the touted Andean region crop, the Bolivian News Agency (ABI) reported Thursday.

"We need these laboratories to create new varieties and new quinoa byproducts to be able to transform and industrialize," the center's director, Edgar Soliz, said at a press conference.

On Friday, agricultural officials from throughout South America, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, are expected to attend the signing of the document to launch construction of the international center, the agency said.

Crispin Moreira, regional representative of the United Nations Agriculture and Food Organization (FAO), told reporters the center represented a major step towards guaranteeing global food sovereignty, especially in areas afflicted by hunger.

"The Andean countries will once again present humankind with a tool to promote food sovereignty," said Moreira.

The FAO, which declared 2013 "The International Year of Quinoa," describes it as "a highly nutritious crop containing more protein than most other plant foods."

Often referred to as "the golden grain of the Andes," quinoa is actually a seed that is used more like grain. Enditem