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Loofah Sponge
During these last years, the OIPIC NGO has sought new viable options for small farmers that cannot compete with the great cotton and soybean plantations. Today loofah sponges gives the small peasent 50 times more income that the cotton gives, this together with no health risk, through an easy crop and with no major expenses. The loofah has Asiatic origins; it requires warm temperatures for optimum growth that are characteristic of tropical regions. Paraguay has its very own loofah variety that was commonly used in households until fairly recently. The loofah belongs to the same family as pumpkin, cucumber and melon, and it may be used for a great variety of applications: filling for furniture or car seats, bags, shoes, medicaments for sinusitis, etc..
* In August/September 2000, the ROTARY CLUB INTERNATIONAL sponsored two courses on vegetable sponge cultivation, which took place at the ecological school TATANGA MANI.
* Oipic had signed a agreement in 2002 with Loofah S.A. Company, for the sale of the production of loofah sponges. With this contract it is possible now for OIPIC to give 450 peasent families the opportunity to work with cultivation of loofah. A groving market that turns everyday more interesting for a lot paraguayan families. OIPIC is on the way to the organic certification with loofah sponge.
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