The European Union and the Palestinian Authority support Gaza farmers with € 900,000
The European Union provided €900,000 to support Palestinian farmers in Gaza affected by the Israeli occupation. This contribution is channelled through the Palestinian Authority's programme "Private Sector Reconstruction Gaza – Agriculture''. It includes the provision of agricultural materials, inputs and equipment to help farmers restore their damaged businesses and develop their livelihood activities.
88 Palestinian farmers and agro-businesses affected by Israel's occupation in the Gaza Strip will benefit from this contribution. This contribution will bring the total number of beneficiaries from this programme in Gaza Strip to 259 farmers who have received around € 5.5 million of EU funds. It covers reconstruction and replacement of damaged assets, in addition to business development support.
''Agriculture is one of the main pillars of the Palestinian economy. It is also an integral component of its social and cultural fabric. It ties Palestinians to their land and remains the main source of livelihood that faces numerous challenges in many areas of the occupied Palestinian territory. In Gaza, multiple rounds of devastating cycles of violence have hit farmers hard. Many of them lost their agribusinesses and were left without any source of income. Against this backdrop, the EU and the Palestinian Authority have worked together to enable the affected farmers to resume and develop their economic activities. This will help in combatting poverty and creating jobs amid high unemployment and poverty rates. It will also contribute to the efforts to build a future independent Palestinian State with a viable economy'', said the EU Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff.
The overall financial envelope of the Private Sector Reconstruction Gaza - Agriculture (PSRG-A) programme amounts to €10.5 million. It is expected to serve about 400 eligible beneficiaries in the Gaza Strip governorates. The programme was designed and is managed by the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture and the Palestinian Agriculture Disaster Risk Reduction and Insurance Fund.
Background:
Most of the European Union's assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is channelled through PEGASE Direct Financial Support to the PA, the financial mechanism launched in 2008 to support the PA Reform and Development Plan (2008-2010) and the subsequent Palestinian national development plans. It also aims at meeting a substantial part/ portion/ amount of the PA's running costs. European Union funds currently support major reform and development programmes in key ministries to help prepare the PA for statehood. Since February 2008, over €2.3 billion have been disbursed through PEGASE Direct Financial Support programmes. In addition, the EU has provided assistance to the Palestinian people through UNRWA as well as through a wide range of other cooperation projects.
For further details please contact:
The Office of the European Union Representative
Shadi Othman (02 5415 867, 0599 673 958); Inas Abu Shirbi (02 541 5 859, 0599 673 957)