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More than 500 farmers in the Alieu district of Timor-Leste are continuing to benefit from a Bayu-Undan Joint Venture supported USAID horticulture project, two years after the official program has ended.

The project began in 2010 when ConocoPhillips, along with Bayu-Undan joint venture partners and the Autoridade Nacional do Petroleu e Minerais (ANPM), financed the construction of greenhouses in two communities in the district.

The objective of the project was to help farmers transition from traditional farming practices to running market-oriented businesses. Farmers were trained in modern farming techniques to improve the quality of their crops, including indoor and outdoor production techniques, methods to ensure consistent supply, and sales marketing techniques to link them to commercial buyers.

ConocoPhillips representatives recently visited the Alieu district to witness first-hand how the JV’s support for the project has continued to benefit the local community.

The team conducted a meeting with members of Hakiak Moris Group, one of the beneficiaries of the project in Suco Seloi Kriak, Aileu Municipality, and were impressed that farmers are continuing to produce a substantial supply of vegetables to meet demand from local supermarkets.

The farmers expressed their happiness and appreciation for being part of the life-changing project being implemented in their village.  

Florindo da Costa, head of Hakiak Moris Group, said he was grateful for his involvement in the project.

“I personally feel very proud to be part of the project because it has brought a lot of change to our ways of farming,” he said. “Before we only planted two types of vegetables all year round, but now we can produce many different varieties of vegetables to be purchased weekly by supermarkets from Dili.”

Farmers within the Hakiak Moris Group expressed the common feeling that the income made from their farming activities had enabled them to change their way of living, enabling them to improve their houses, send their children to university, re-invest money back into the farming business, have regular savings and improve the nutrition of their family.                

Projeitu hortikulutura kontinua fò benefisiu ba to’os nain sira iha Timor Leste.

Mais ou menus 500 to’os nain sira iha Aileu kontinua hetan benefisiu husi Bayu Undan ho nia parseiru sira ne’ebe suporta projeitu hortikultura USAID nian, hafoin tinan rua proieitu ne’e remata.

Projeitu ne’e hahu iha 2010 wainhira ConocoPhillis ho nia parseiru sira ho ANPM finansia konstrusaun greenhouse iha fatin rua iha Aileu.

Intensaun husi projeitu ne’e mak atu ajuda to’os nain sira husi metodu tradisional ba orientasaun bazea negosio merkadu nian. To’os nain sira hetan treinamentu kona ba tekniku atu hadia kualidade kultivasaun nian inklui tekniku produsaun iha greenhouse laran no iha liur, metodu atu asegura konsistensia fornesementu, tekniku negosiu atu liga to’os nain sira ba merkadoria.  

Representante Conocophillips foin dadaun ne’e hala’o visita kortesia ida iha Distritu Aileu atu hare to’os nain sira ne’ebe benefisia direitamente. Iha visita ne’e atu hare oinsa projeitu ne’e atu kontinua benefisia komunidade lokal.

Iha okasiaun ida ne’e, ConocoPhillips ho nia membru hala’o mos inkontru ho membru Grupu Hakiak Moris, mak grupu ida ne’ebe hetan benefisia husi projeitu iha Suco Seloi Kraik, Munisipiu Aileu.  Ami kontente katak to’os nain sira kontinua halo produsaun atu mantein fornesimentu modo ba super merkado sira iha Dili laran.

To’os nain sira espresa sira nia apresiasaun ba projeitu ida ne’ebe halo mudansa iha sira nia moris ne’ebe implementa iha sira nia le’et

Florindo da Costa, chefe grupu Hakiak Moris, hateten katak nia kontente tebes involve iha projeitu ida ne’e.

“pesoalmente hau kontente involve iha projeitu ida ne’e tanba projeitu ne’e halo mudansa barak iha hau nia moris hanesan to’os nain” nia hateten. “Antes ne’e ami kuda deit modo tipu oin rua iha tinan ida nia laran, maibe agora ami bele produs variadade modo oin – oin ne’ebe super merkadu iha Dili laran mai hola semana – semana.

To’os nain iha Grupu Hakiak Moris espresa katak sira sinti lukru husi aktividade ida ne’e bele halo mudansa iha sira nia moris, sira bele hadia sira nia uma, bele haruka sira nia oan ba eskola iha universidade, bele investe fila fali sira nia lukru ba negosiu, bele rai  regularmente, bele hadia nutrisaun iha uma laran.

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