Woman from Jak village shelling candlenuts

In Jak Village-TTU District in West Timor, AusAID-ANTARA has supported Yayasan Mitra Tani Mandiri (Independent Farmer Partner Association) to help farmers to add value to their products and get a fair price. “The Farmers Association has helped us in so many ways-now we dry and husk our candlenuts before we sell them, and we are getting R 12,000 a killo instead of R 8000 (or 30% added value from row material). We also bought our own scales and weigh our product before selling it-before the buyers would weigh our nuts behind their shed and we weren’t sure they were giving us the correct payment.  I have been able to buy a table and chais for my house, medicine for my children when they are sick and it is not so difficult for me to pay school fees now. Before the Farmers Association came to our village, the women would stand back and let the men talk. Now we have received training and are more confident. The Farmers Association will stay forever to benefit our children and our children’s children.”

* Yayasan Mitra Tani Mandiri will receive $1.4 million between 2007 and 2010 through AusAID;s Australia Nusa Tenggara Assistan ce for Regional Autonomy (ANTARA) Program.

Sent by Rachael Moore, AusAID Indonesia and East Timor Branch (Nov 2009)