04 October, Bolivia - In the municipality of Jesús de Machaca, department of La Paz, the producers of the associations A.P.A.CH.I and APECAAJJA 

celebrated the signing of an agreement for the supply of cañahua with the processing company Granja Samiri for a period of two years, an action that promotes the long-term sustainability of cañahua production and the best agricultural practices promoted by the Resilient Heritage of the Andes Cañahua and Tarwi project financed by the European Union through the Euroclima+ Programme in the Resilient Food Production Sector, implemented by GIZ and Expertise France, and executed by Swisscontact and the Proinpa Foundation.

The beneficiaries are 14 producers from Ayllu San Pedro de Tana of the Asociación de Productores Agropecuarios Agroecológicos Procesadores de Alimentos Andinos Challaya Illama (A.P.A.CH.I.) who marketed 80 quintals of cañahua of the Cañawiri, Lasta Rosada and Illimani varieties. Similarly, 16 members of the Asociación de Productores Agroecológicos de Cultivos Andinos del Ayllu Juanq'u Jaqi Abajo APECAAJJA marketed 41 quintals of high quality cañahua.

                                                                                                                 Harvesting of cañahua

The project supported the producers of both associations with training in resilient best agricultural practices for cañahua production, with the provision of two varieties of seeds (Cañawiri and Lasta Rosada). The result was an increase in the harvest produced in the area. 20% of the total harvested is destined for self-consumption. 

Engineer Trigidia Jiménez, General Manager of Granja Samiri expressed her satisfaction with the surplus production of cañahua by the producers for the transformation that the project supports for national consumption "Very good quality of cañahua, in the future Granja Samiri is interested in continuing with strategic marketing alliances to promote resilient and nutritious food from Bolivia".

                                                                                                Trigidia Jiménez Samiri farm manager

Josefina Chasqui Calle, cañahua producer of A.P.A.CH.I. commented "we feel proud that our cañahua produced with our own hands reaches Bolivians through products made by the Samiri Farm. Before we did not have buyers of this magnitude, we sold by the bushel in small quantities and now we are motivated to continue producing in greater quantity and quality".

                                                                                                     Loading of 121 quintals of cañahua

About the project "Resilient Heritage of the Andess-Cañahua and Tarwi".

The project promotes the resilience of rural farmer production systems in the Bolivian and Peruvian highlands, strengthening the Cañahua and Tarwi production complexes by improving the production, marketing and consumption of superfoods that are part of the food heritage of both countries, benefiting 1,200 producer families.

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More information

Pablo Jesús Rossendy Roja, Communicator of the Euroclima Project - "Resilient Heritage of the Andes, Cañahua and Tarwi", This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Resilient Food Production sector: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.