Mozambique: 16 million tonne target for marketing campaign

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Mozambique: 16 million tonne target for marketing campaign

7:20 CAT | 19 Apr 2021

Photo: Noticias

Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario said on Friday that about 16 million tonnes of produce will be sold during this year’s agricultural marketing campaign.

If this target is achieved, it will represent growth of 9.3 per cent growth when compared with the previous season.

Addressing the launch of the 2021 Agricultural Marketing Campaign and the National Forum for Agricultural Marketing in Xai-Xai, capital of the southern Mozambican province of Gaza, Rosario said the achievement of this target depends on concerted efforts from the government, the private buyers and the financial sector.

“The marketing of surplus production makes a valuable and growing contribution to boosting agriculture, which is a strategic sector for job creation and income for the majority of Mozambican households,” the Prime Minister added.

He called on the smallholders, the financial sector and other stakeholders to do all within their power to ensure that no surplus crops are left in the hands of the farmers.

Rosario stressed that farmers must ensure that their products have the required quality, so that they are competitively marketable. “For instance, if they dry their crops properly, they will definitely have the right quality and consequently a better market price”, he said.

But the Prime Minister warned the buyers to offer a fair price to the farmers. It was also crucial, to spread the news, as widely as possible, about where the products are available and the respective prices.

“The share of information will add value to the farmers’ work and facilitate the activity of the other stakeholders in the marketing chain,” he said, pointing out that “if every stakeholder involved in the marketing process plays his role, we will be in better condition to have a profitable campaign, which is essential for turning the activity into a driving-force for agribusiness.”

In order to complement the efforts undertaken by the farmers and the other stakeholders in the marketing chain, Rosario pledged that the government will continue adopting reforms and implementing a wide range of actions to boost agriculture.

The government, he added, will enhance the role of both the Grain Institute and Mozambique’s Commodity Exchange through a special credit line named the Agricultural Marketing Rotating Fund.

The rotating fund is available through the banks and has enabled farmers and other stakeholders access to finance under favourable conditions.

Source: AIM