2007年VOA标准英语-Guinea-Bissau's Cash Crop Reaps Less and Less

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
14 February 2007

The small, impoverished¹ former Portuguese² colony, Guinea Bissau, has one cash crop - cashews. It accounts for an estimated 80 percent of foreign exchange earnings³. Eighty-five percent of the population depends on the trade. But changes in government policy, as well as shifts in world markets, are making it harder and harder for cashew growers to make a living. VOA's Nico Colombant has more from our regional bureau in Dakar.

 
Cashew trees are reaping less money in Guinea-Bissau
Jerry Ndiaye walks across his cashew farm in Kachunko, outside the capital Bissau.

He says the cashew business used to be a good one, but not any more.

He says one of the problems is the government's meddling⁴. He says officials have been trying to regulate and curb⁵ activity by outside Senegalese and Indian buyers, but that this has actually hurt local farmers.

He explains a high fixed⁶ government price is not being met by buyers and the government has no credit, only promissory notes.

Ndiaye sorts through dried cashews, removing impurities⁷ from the batch⁸.

A very small amount is processed in Guinea-Bissau, because of recurrent electricity outages and instability.

Most of these cashews will be processed in India - the major center for cashew production - before being used in local cuisine⁹ or exported to the West, as an appetizer¹⁰.

A kilo of processed organic cashews can sell for $30 or more in Western countries.

In Guinea-Bissau, a farmer is now lucky to get $0.25 for a kilo.

More border controls also lowered prices in the field.

Some of the buyers have moved their business to Senegal's nearby Casamance region, encouraging farmers there to produce more cashews.

 
Cashew farmers in Guinea-Bissau face hardships
To make matters worse, the allure¹¹ of cashews has been reduced in India, Europe and the United States, following health scares and reports the crunchy food caused allergies¹². This all makes the price farmers get in Guinea-Bissau lower.

An economist¹³ at Bissau's chamber¹⁴ of commerce refused to be named or recorded for this interview. But he says more qualified¹⁵ personnel should be allowed into reforming the sector¹⁶. He also says the government's strategy was for the long term, but that in the short term it seems to have not gone according to plan.

The president of the cashew growers association in the nearby town, Farign, Muhamadou Bikirn Diallo, says he would like the government to stop buying on credit and have the money to buy at higher rates. But he admits that money may simply not be there.

 
Cashew farmers in Guinea-Bissau turn to other activities
Farmer Ndiaye says he will continue growing cashews because he has no other work and he has been successful at this.

Other farmers are going back to growing rice again, alongside millet¹⁷, potatoes and mangoes or trying fishing. They say cashews can be used for the fruit, or to roast as a treat, or to make the local alcohol, soumsoum, but that it is just not lucrative¹⁸ enough to sell to foreigners anymore.

1 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

5 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

6 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

7 impurities   

不纯( impurity的名词复数 )； 不洁； 淫秽； 杂质

参考例句：

• A filter will remove most impurities found in water. 过滤器会滤掉水中的大部分杂质。
• Oil is refined to remove naturally occurring impurities. 油经过提炼去除天然存在的杂质。

8 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

9 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

10 appetizer   

n.小吃，开胃品

参考例句：

• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetizer.我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。
• I would like a cucumber salad for an appetizer.我要一份黄瓜沙拉作开胃菜。

11 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。

12 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

13 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

14 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

15 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

16 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

17 millet   

n.小米，谷子

参考例句：

• Millet is cultivated in the middle or lower reaches of the Yellow River.在黄河中下游地区，人们种植谷子。
• The high quality millet flour was obtained through wet milling.采用湿磨法获得了高品质的小米粉。

18 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。