The Union of Arab Chambers participated in a webinar for financing small and medium farmers and producers organized by the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development on September 24, 2020, through “video conference” technology, with the participation of a large number of specialists.
The webinar aimed at learning about the authority’s efforts to contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals in eradicating hunger, achieving food security and promoting smart agriculture. It also aimed to mobilize additional financial resources to finance small and medium farmers, animal breeders, fishers, and workers in the field of small manufacturing industries, by establishing specialized funds or contributing to the programs implemented by the authority, to increase production, expand and develop the agricultural sector in the Arab countries and to enhance their financial inclusion to ensure the sustainability and development of their agricultural activity and stability, and to encourage contractual partnership with different business sectors.
The meeting discussed the importance of establishing a fund to finance small farmers and producers, and the proposal won the approval of the participants, confirming their willingness to contribute to it, and inviting Arab, regional and international funds to support the fund.
The webinar concluded with the adoption of a set of important recommendations, including the need to provide support to the small farmers and producers sector, while creating the appropriate environment by providing the necessary infrastructure, strengthening the role of relevant institutions, and focusing on building and developing technical, financial and administrative capacities for small farmers and producers, especially the youth and rural women.
The participants to this webinar called on the Arab governments to issue encouraging legislation and policies to provide an appropriate environment to attract the private sector in order to actively contribute to financing small farmers, and to help the companies entering in contract farming, which provides the opportunity for small farmers to directly access markets.
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
