ROME/VIENNA, The United Nations Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund has awarded a US$2m grant to boost Suriname’s pineapple sector through a programme that will benefit indigenous and other rural communities. It will be implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as lead agencies, in partnership with the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Population Fund.
The joint programme, “Sustainable Pineapple Value Chain Development”, stems from a proposal submitted under The Accelerator for Agriculture and Agroindustry Development and Innovation Plus (3ADI+), which was selected from a global pool of submissions from over 100 countries.
Developed in close collaboration with the various stakeholders in the pineapple value chain in Suriname, the joint programme will see the four UN agencies, in partnership with development banks and local financial institutions, implement several solutions including an innovation hub to provide cutting edge technical assistance and an innovative guarantee facility to ease access to credit and de-risk investments.
The initiative will enable farmers, processors and others in the pineapple value chain, to increase their productivity, competitiveness and market access in a sustainable and transformational manner with a focus on generating incomes for indigenous communities.
Suriname, one of the birthplaces of pineapple, boasts a range of unique varieties many of which have been cultivated over centuries by the same indigenous peoples that today still represent the majority of the country’s pineapple producers. The joint programme will contribute to building the resilience of indigenous and other rural groups by integrating decent work considerations, enterprise development and the empowerment of farmers and workers, with special emphasis on the inclusion of women and youth, through cooperatives and better governance practices.
Ali Badarneh, Chief of the Sustainable Food Systems Division at UNIDO, said, “Bringing value chain analysis and financial mechanism design together is a game-changer in our approach under 3ADI+. This is our definition of a sustainable investment model that supports technical assistance delivery, increases value chain productivity, empowers communities, and boosts resilience.”
Since 2018, in response to a request from the Government of Suriname, UNIDO and FAO have supported the sustainable development of the pineapple value chain in Suriname under 3ADI+. In collaboration with relevant ministries, the 3ADI+ team engaged with Surinamese farmers and other value chain actors to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the pineapple value chain, and based on this analysis, a 2030 vision for an upgraded pineapple value chain was proposed and gathered widespread buy-in. The development of the pineapple value chain in Suriname is a strategic priority for the Government of Suriname which aims to diversify the country’s economy and add more value to its agricultural commodities.
“The potential is there. We know that they have very good product, we know that people are eager to develop this value chain, from the public sector to the private sector, and we know the markets are out there as well. If we can put all the pieces together, and this is where FAO and its partners come in to help, I’m sure this is going to be a success,” said David Neven, Senior Economist at FAO.
Suriname is among five new countries – the others are Kenya, Madagascar, North Macedonia and Zimbabwe – selected by the UN Joint SDG Fund to receive financing under its US$114m portfolio to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This announcement from the Joint SDG Fund comes less than one year after the Fund launched its first investment of US$41m in four programmes in Fiji, Indonesia, Malawi and Uruguay. The portfolio is expected to leverage US$5bn toward the SDGs across the nine countries.
Source: United Nations Industrial Development Organization