Comexa Foods of Colombia has agreed to purchase some 1,840 tonnes
of chilli peppers harvested by 320 demobilized soldiers and other
vulnerable populations.

The chilli pepper production is part of IOM's Reintegration and
Community Development Programme underway in the departments of
Antioquia and Sucre and of the private/public sector initiative
created in 2006 by IOM, the President's Special Advisor, the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Argos
Cement Company, the largest cement company in Colombia and the
fifth largest in the world.

The purchase of the first year production is estimated at 1
billion Colombian pesos (some USD 500,000). Comexa Foods is the
main supplier of pepper for the international firm Amazon
Pepper.

According to IOM's Chief of Mission in Colombia
José-Angel Oropeza, "The recent agreement signed by IOM and
Comexa Foods and this important purchase will guarantee the
programme's sustainability. This programme is vital because it is
providing the support needed by the ex-combatants and other
vulnerable persons to improve their living conditions and become
self sustaining."

To date, almost 32,000 persons have demobilized under the peace
agreements signed by the Colombian government and illegal armed
groups.

Frank Pearl, Senior Presidential Adviser for Reintegration
believes "this programme is the perfect business model that the
Colombian government wants to implement throughout the country to
support demobilized persons, their families and the
communities."

The private/public sector initiative aims to involve the private
sector, the international community and the Colombian government in
order to develop activities that promote the economic stabilization
of some 320 persons, a lot of them demobilized ex-combatants.

The initiative also includes a social component aimed at
strengthening and consolidating social cohesion in the
participating communities; a business component to improve
competitiveness and promote alliances amongst the beneficiaries; an
educational component that is providing some 1,200 children and
adolescents access to computers; and an environmental component
that has introduced environmentally friendly agricultural
practices.

IOM's past experience has proven that private-public
partnerships are successful practices when providing assistance to
vulnerable groups.  IOM has carried out several programmes to
assist demobilized groups in Kosovo, Angola, Haiti and
Guatemala.

For more information please contact:

Jorge Andres Gallo

IOM Colombia

Tel: 57.1.594 64 10 ext. 142

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">jgallo@iom.int