La Unión, 27 April 2023 - More than 366,000 dollars will be invested in the implementation of the project: Innovations and Development for a Green Economy, which seeks to strengthen the value chains of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the vegetable, fruit and honey sectors, and promote their transition to the circular economy. The project is part of the Green AL-INVEST programme, a European Union (EU) initiative that promotes sustainable growth and job creation in the region with an emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises.

The programme - through the implementation of its Component 1 - selected 24 projects out of 136 proposals received during the First Call for Proposals from all over Latin America. In El Salvador, a project focused on the transition towards low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular business models that will benefit Salvadoran MSEs will be implemented.

"SMEs are key actors for the sustainable development of economies due to their high potential to respond to market needs, generate employment and allow access to better living conditions. From AL-INVEST Verde we manage funds for the financing of projects that seek to benefit SMEs and at the same time expand their possibilities to trade under EU standards, giving them a competitive advantage," said Irene Haddad, Team Leader of Component 1 of AL-INVEST Verde.

The executing institution of the project is ADEL LA UNION together with its European strategic partners ILS LEDA Internatinal Links and Services for Local Economic Development Agencies and CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, the total investment of the initiative is around USD $365,351. INNOVATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT FOR A GREEN ECONOMY will be implemented in the departments of La Unión and San Miguel, with the objective of strengthening value chains in the vegetable, fruit and honey sectors, and facilitating the transition of MSEs towards environmentally friendly production, promoting the implementation of the circular economy.

This is the sixth generation of the programme, but this edition has been renamed AL-VEST VERDE to emphasise the environmental dimension. AL-INVEST is our programme in Latin America for the development of the private sector with a strong focus on micro and small enterprises and with a strong social dimension that seeks to create jobs. Because we are absolutely convinced that there is no choice between nature and humanity. We are part of it and the only way to progress together", stressed François Roudié, Ambassador of the European Union in El Salvador.

The General Manager of ADEL LA UNION, Mario Chavarría, explained some of the actions that will be carried out to boost the productivity of producers and SMEs, such as the transfer of methodologies and technological knowledge, business rounds and the organisation of producers in the prioritised sectors. All of this is aimed at improving productive capacity and adopting the circular economy in the vegetable, fruit and honey value chains.

The president of the La Guacamayera Cooperative Association, Ezequiel Cruz, thanked the EU ambassador and ADEL LA UNION for taking them into account for the implementation of this initiative, and assured that as producers they will do their utmost to achieve the objectives of the project. For his part, the president of the Board of Directors of ADEL, Leónidas Pérez, thanked the ambassador for the trust placed in the institution for the implementation of this programme that will be of great benefit to micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as for producers of vegetables, fruit and honey in the territories involved in the project.

The AL-INVEST Verde programme is implemented throughout Latin America and has allocated more than nine million euros to support projects benefiting SMEs in the region. 

About AL-INVEST Green

AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 1, the programme manages funds for the implementation of innovative projects of small business associations to promote sustainable practices in the private sector. Component 1 is led by sequa, a German non-profit organisation operating worldwide with the aim of promoting the private sector.