BUJUMBURA, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The European Union and International Fund for Agricultural Development have donated $31.6 million to Burundi to support farmers in poor rural areas, the government said on Thursday. Agriculture and Livestock Minister Ferdinand Nderagakura told a news conference the funds would help pay for projects in six provinces over the next four years. "This financial support will help small farmers form associations to use new technology to increase productivity," Nderagakura said. "It will also help them develop commercial agriculture and increase their revenue." The government in Bujumbura said last month it planned to boost state spending by 2.7 percent this year to some $687 million due to the impact of the global economic slowdown. The finance minister said then that remittances from aboard had slumped by 40 percent since the start of 2009, while coffee prices had fallen 17 percent and domestic revenues were down 5.7 percent on expectations. [ID:nLT509632] (Reporting by Patrick Nduwimana; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Burundian peacekeepers from the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) escort a U.N. delegation from Madina hospital in their armoured personnel carrier (APC) in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, September 7, 2009, after ...
