Peru’s President Ollanta Humala has stressed quinoa-growing is an engine of development in the country’s high Andean regions as it represents a unique opportunity of progress for all families living in this area.
“Peru is the second world's top exporter of quinoa, producing around 60,000 tons a year," Humala said Tuesday, addressing the award-giving ceremony of the International Contest on Quinoa Technological Innovation.
At the event, held at the Government Palace in the nation's capital Lima, the Peruvian leader noted that most of this output is being exported, thus benefiting medium and small-sized farmers and producers by rising quinoa's price in oversea markets.
Likewise, Humala hailed the nutritional richness of quinoa which can replace to a large extent, the meat proteins. “We should incorporate this product into Qali Warma which is the government-run school feeding program”.
The head of the Peruvian State continued, “My administration is pledged to promote social policies aimed at wider consumption of the golden grain in the country with the aim of tackling child malnutrition”.
Likewise, the president noted his administration is focusing efforts on protecting the genetic diversity of the Andean grain crop quinoa by providing financial funds to promote Pru and Bolivia as its birth place.
The event was attended by Peru's First Lady Nadine Heredia who continues with her role as Food and Agriculture’s (FAO) Special Ambassador for Quinoa in 2014.
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Published: 4/22/2014