August 28th, 2018: Sesame has germinated and is growing luxuriant

It has germinated - and it is flourishing! As part of the multilateral program financed by AICS "Development of agricultural supply chains and access to credit for inclusive economic growth in the State of Kassala" (AID 11259), UNIDO offers 350 small-scale farmers, dependent exclusively on rainwater, a "technical package" (high yield seeds, modern fertilizers and mechanized services) for the production of about 700 feddan (300 hectares) of sesame.

Farmers, almost all of whom had never had access to credit, were able to purchase the "technical package" thanks to a loan of around € 85 per feddan, offered by a local microfinance institution, Kassala Microfinance Institution, and partially guaranteed by UNIDO, through an associations of local producers.

Furthermore, farmers will be offered constant and timely technical assistance, from sowing to harvest, scheduled for November: UNIDO has formed the agronomist team of the Ministry of Agriculture which, in turn, are implementing the so-called "farmers" 'field school' (30 sessions in total) and monitor the growth of sesame every day.