TAIPEI – Taiwan ambassador to Honduras Joseph Kuo and Nick Rischbieth, executive president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) signed an agreement to provide loans to Central American countries affected by coffee rust.
Under the deal, the Republic of China (Taiwan) government will provide US$3.5 million over a period of five years to finance technical assistance in the fight against coffee rust, the most economically devastating coffee plant disease in the world.
Last December, the CABEI and the ROC government also signed an agreement to each provide US$40 million in loans to combat coffee rust in Central America.
This time, the CABEI and Taiwan will invest US$2.5 million and US$3.50 million, respectively, to help small coffee farmers in the region prevent and control the disease.
It is estimated that nearly 20,600 small coffee farmers in five countries — Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua as well as Costa Rica — will benefit from the project.
