The support measures to Timorese farmers, that are being developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, has the objective of increasing the quantity and quality of the national productions such as rice, corn, sweet potato, cassava, yam, peanut, some type of beans, soya, horticulture and industrial plantations such as coconut, coffee, sandalwood, among others.

The Government’s Plan for national farmers’ capacity building is composed of three phases. The first consists in elevating the farmer to a professional condition, with the attribution of financial, technical and training support. The second phase, where some of the supports start to be withdrawn – specially financial support in order to avoid the creation of a dependency culture– intends to give to the farmer the capacity to maintain his professional condition. Finally, in the plan’s third phase, it is intended that the farmers start to expand their business.

At the moment the first phase is being developed. The distribution of almost two thousand tractors is being prepared and the also Government facilitates the acquisition of materials such as organic fertilizers and seeds to increase the quality of the products.

According to the Director of Planning from the Secretariat of State for Agriculture and Arboriculture, one can already succeed in obtaining, in Timor-Leste, a production with sufficient quality to penetrate the national market. “Our farmers are organized. Together with the support of some international agencies – such as USAID or the Portuguese Institute for Development Suppor t– good agricultural practices are at this moment being implemented” says Octávio de Almeida. The purpose, in a first phase, is to increase the production capacity to supply the increasing internal market, which especially exists in Díli. With the normalization of the produce flow and the establishment of food self-sufficiency, Timor-Leste can start to export to other countries.

The Director of Planning of the Secretariat of State of Agriculture and Arboriculture explains that: “We have groups of technicians specialized in agriculture working with the farmers in the sucos, in all the sucos. This network of experts gives support in terms of agricultural practices. This program is being implemented at the national level”.

The most significant technical support, at this time, is the farmer’s capacity building to use the materials and equipments that are being supplied by the Government, such as, for example, the tractors. This equipment demands maintenance and a handling capacity that a large part of the beneficiaries don’t have. “This is a big challenge for the Ministry of Agriculture”, Octávio de Almeida confesses. Before the distribution of the tractors it is necessary to prepare the farmers so they know how to work with the machinery.

“Everything that the Ministry is making available is free. This is our policy to support the farmers because we know that they still don’t have the capacity to finance it by their own means” concluded the Director of Planning from the Secretariat of State of Agriculture and Arboriculture.