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MCA Support
MCA Nicaragua works in an alliance with 173
sesame producers, distributed in 128 producers
under the modality of conventional sesame and 45
producers of organic sesame.
They have been given support with technical
assistance, training, monitoring, cultivation,
follow-up, yield, business rounds, agricultural
inputs, organic certification, processing and
trading. With this support, the producers have
reproduced their profits, improve their
productive yield and improved the quality.
To date, it was possible to trade a total of 7,
509 quintals of conventional sesame, with 340
producers from Chinandega and León, which
generated an income of U$428 thousand dollars
with an average price among $57 per quintal.
About organic sesame, around 700 quintals were
sold at a selling price of U$100 dollars per
quintal, which generated an income of around $70
thousand dollars. The preference for organic
sesame unlike the conventional sesame is due to
the consumption of healthier and free of
pesticide residues food.
The main markets of sesame consumption are the
countries such as Japan, USA, Canada and some
Nordic countries. |
At some 300 kilometers from the village of Malpaisillo,
in the municipality of León, the producer lives Diego
Antonio Treminio Niño, 46-years old. In his farm which
is located in the community of El Espino, he produces
corn, sorghum and sesame.
This latest cultivation gave him good profit in the crop
2007-2008. With it, he bought calved cows which
increased his cattle herd and purchased ten manzanas
(≈17 acres) of land.
“Thanks to the assistance provided by the Millennium
Challenge Account we could increase the yield up to 50%
and I had a profit we have ever had, of around US$3,
63”, said the producer Mr. Treminio who will sow ten
manzanas more in the productive cycle of this year.
The cows are producing more milk, which he sells in the
village. He will use the ten manzanas of land to expand
the areas of sesame in the productive cycle of this
year.
 For
the period 2007-2008, he sowed nine manzanas of land.
Five out of them were done with the support provided by
MCA and the four left with his own effort. His yield
passed from eight to fourteen or fifteen quintals per
manzana with the technical assistance given by the
Program.
Even though he only could study the fourth grade of
primary school given the difficult situation where he
grew up, he expects that his three children finish their
professional career. One of them is in the second year
of civil engineer and his two daughters are in second
and fourth grade of high school respectively.
“I did not have the chance to study, but I was always a
peasant who liked learning and experiencing new
production techniques. For the first time, I took
control or traceability of harvest. We apply fertilizers
and trade in groups, which strengthened us at the time
of negotiating. We hope to get good yield again with
sesame and be able to help my family even more” he said.
His goal with this new productive cycle of 2008-2009 is
to buy a truck, set up a business and acquire more cows
to continue increasing his milk production. |
