- Title: BOLIVIA: World Bank chief promotes rural development in Bolivia
- Date: 9th July 2013
- Summary: BELLA VISTA, BOLIVIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) CLOSE-UP OF A FLOWER VARIOUS OF PEASANT FARMERS WORKING IN FLOWER BEDS CLOSE-UP OF YOUNG FLOWER GROWER FLOWER BEDS WOMEN WORKING IN FLOWER BEDS VARIOUS OF THE FLOWER BEDS GENERAL OF PEASANT FARMER PREPARING LAND FOR NEW FLOWER BED VARIOUS OF FARMER PLANTING FLOWER SEEDS A FLOWER FARMER RESTING IN THE FLOWER BEDS CLIZA, BOLIVIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) CLOSE-UP OF AN ELDERLY QUECHUA WOMAN WOMEN HOLDING A POSTER OF BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT EVO MORALES VARIOUS OF POLITICAL RALLY CLOSE-UP OF A WOMAN HOLING A PICTURE OF MORALES (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) WORLD BANK PRESIDENT, JIM YONG KIM, SAYING: "We want you to see us as a partner that doesn't just come to share knowledge, but also to learn. Like from the Bolivian program which supports 800 rural groups which benefit some 30,000 families and serves as a model in the region." GENERAL VIEW OF THE RURAL ALLIANCES PROJECT FAIR (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) WORLD BANK PRESIDENT, JIM YONG KIM, SAYING: "My presence here is a clear testament that we are decidedly in favour of eliminating poverty and of shared prosperity, recognizing the need to do it in a sustainable way both socially and environmentally." MORE OF FAIR (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT EVO MORALES, SAYING: "A lot of people will be wondering, 'what is President Evo Morales doing with the president of the World Bank?' with questions about my policies. Now, you've heard from the president of the World Bank. He has not come to give the recipe, but has come to support our own recipes, our policies and programmes which we have implemented through the Ministry of Planning and other ministries. There is no more blackmailing or conditions set by the World Bank." CLOSE-UP OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CITRUS GROWER, VICENTE TAPIA ORELLANA, SAYING: "The Rural Alliances Project (PAR) is the best thing we've ever had for agriculture. We've implemented plans to make our cultivations more technical. We've gotten agricultural equipment, motorized sprayers, mowers, water pumps, pruning equipment and technical assistance." WORLD BANK PRESIDENT JIM YOUNG KIM VISITING A FARMER CLOSE-UP OF CORN KIM WITH GROWERS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS VARIOUS OF GROWERS AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
- Embargoed: 24th July 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bolivia, Plurinational State Of
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Business,Industry
- Reuters ID: LVA877RH0FPSYXZN06SFCD0EO9BQ
- Story Text: World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Bolivian president Evo Morales agreed over the weekend to expand rural cooperation efforts following the success of a 2005 initiative they say has benefited thousands of rural families and small agricultural growers.
Started in 2005, the World Bank's Rural Partnerships Project (PAR) has organized small-scale producers and linked them with buyers on the world market.
The project is designed to protect small producers like this flower nursery in Bella Vista and increase their profitability while incorporating sustainability.
The South American country has more rural partnerships than any other in the region and the World Bank said the implementation of PAR II will extend benefits to an additional 35,000 families.
"We want you to see us as a partner that doesn't just come to share knowledge, but also to learn. Like from the Bolivian program which supports 800 rural groups which benefit some 30,000 families and serves as a model in the region," Kim said during a rural fair in the city of Cliza about 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Cochabamba.
Following the success of PAR, the World Bank introduced similar programmes in 14 other countries.
The World Bank says the plan will increase food security in Bolivia itself while benefiting growers of traditional Andean foods including quinoa, sweet potatoes, potatoes, oca and tawri, key elements of Andean heritage.
"My presence here is a clear testament that we are decidedly in favour of eliminating poverty and of shared prosperity, recognizing the need to do it in a sustainable way both socially and environmentally," Kim added.
Morales, a former coca grower and leftist leader aligned with country with a group of leftist Latin American leaders from Venezuela, Argentina and Nicaragua, who often denounce the "imperial" aggression of the United States, defended his cooperation with the Washington based financial institution.
"A lot of people will be wondering, 'what is President Evo Morales doing with the president of the World Bank?' with questions about my policies. Now, you've heard from the president of the World Bank. He has not come to give the recipe, but has come to support our own recipes, our policies and programmes which we have implemented through the Ministry of Planning and other ministries. There is no more blackmailing or conditions set by the World Bank," Morales said.
After seven years of economic growth averaging 4.7 percent a year, Bolivia joined the World Bank's list of lower middle-income countries in 2010. The ranking allows more credit access.
An additional $64.7 million dollars will be invested into rural development through 2017 under the expansion of the plan.
Some of the money will allow farmers to buy new equipment and implement new technologies on their land.
"The Rural Alliances Project (PAR) is the best thing we've ever had for agriculture. We've implemented plans to make our cultivations more technical. We've gotten agricultural equipment, motorized sprayers, mowers, water pumps, pruning equipment and technical assistance," said citrus grower, Vicente Tapia Orellana.
Bolivia and the bank attribute the program to reducing the poverty level of thousands of families by allowing them to remain in the area and earn a profit while working the land.
They also say many workers who might have left the region to find work in neighbouring countries have decided to stay put because of the opportunities the programs provide.
Kim's stop in Bolivia was part of a swing through South America that also brought him to Chile and Peru. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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