Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Taiwan buys rice to aid Haitian quake refugees

Artibonite, Haiti, Jan. 27 (CNA) A technical mission of the Taipei-based International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) stationed in Haiti has donated US$50,000 and purchased 50 tons of locally grown rice to aid post-quake refugees, Carlos Hsiang, chief of the technical group, said Wednesday.

According to Hsiang, the rice, with its "Taichung-shien No. 10" strain from Taiwan, was planted by local Haitian farmers on a 3,000-hectare farm in the Artibonite region with the mission's assistance.

Purchasing locally cultivated produce or goods to aid quake survivors is the best form of assistance to Haiti's people, Hsiang said, because farmers will be give an outlet for their harvests and businessmen a market for their products.

Artibonite is a major granary in central Haiti, suited for planting grains. The technical group also assists Haitian farmers in the southern part of the country to raise fish.

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