Cape Verde receives food aid from Japan

According to the Head of Mission of the Japanese Embassy, Hirose Shinichi, this food aid is Japan's commitment to support the strengthening of agricultural productivity and the resilience of food production chains in African countries, providing food support.

Today, January 16, the official delivery of food aid from the Japanese Government to Cape Verde took place, within the scope of the Friendship and Cooperation Relations between the two countries, in the amount of one thousand, four hundred and fifty-five tons of rice – 1,455.27, referring to the 2021 fiscal year, whose value is around two hundred and fifty million Japanese yen – 250,000,000 JPY, about one hundred and ninety-four million, five hundred and forty-seven thousand, nine hundred and thirty escudos and fifty-six cents (CVE 194,547,930.56).

This food aid includes two varieties of rice: white and polished rice, short grains of Japanese origin and white and polished rice, long grains of Thai origin.

According to the Head of Mission of the Japanese Embassy, Hirose Shinichi, this food aid is Japan's commitment to support the strengthening of agricultural productivity and the resilience of food production chains in African countries, providing food support.

With the value of the rice, to be marketed by the companies (operators winning the rice sale contest), throughout the national territory, a counterpart fund is created to finance socioeconomic development projects in the areas of agriculture, food security and availability of water with an impact on improving the living conditions of citizens.

Present at the time of delivery, on behalf of the Government, the Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Gilberto Silva, made a point of addressing the question of the financial compensation measure to deal with the rise in the price of corn and wheat, adding that the Government will subsidize maize for another 3 months, taking into account the preparation of the new production cycle in terms of livestock. With regard to wheat, the government official added that, according to the opinion of the National Secretariat for Food and Nutritional Security (SNSAN), “it is not recommended to continue, taking into account the extension of the international situation and costs”.

According to Gilberto Silva, other measures that have already proved to be effective were recommended by the SNSAN, such as support for school canteens, food assistance for families, as well as public employment that will allow families to obtain income and access to food.

It should be noted that so far, the Government has already invested PTE 151 thousand with additional financial compensation measures for companies.