Mozambique: Prevent Covid -19 but do not neglect food production – Watch

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Prevent Covid -19 but do not neglect food production – Watch

9:26 CAT | 20 Jul 2020

Photo: Noticias

Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario on Saturday urged that citizens should do all in their power to prevent disease but without neglecting food production, needed to kill the hunger that still affects many Mozambicans.

He was speaking in the central province of Manica, where he toured the company Agropecuaria de Machipanda (AGROPEMA), which produces macadamia nuts, in Sussundenga district.

Rosario stressed the importance of encouraging the districts to remain committed to implementing the government’s Five Year Programme for the 2020-2024 period, which envisages food production as one of the ways of fighting against poverty.

“We want the population to produce a lot of food, particularly at this time when there are difficulties in importing”, he said. “We think this is the time for the population to take advantage of this situation in which Covid-19 has nearly paralysed all activities. Let’s produce food for ourselves, but also for export when the frontiers are open”.

Rosario was enthusiastic about the efforts undertaken at AGROPEMA to produce macadamia nuts, which he thought would make a useful contribution to the balance of trade.

“Despite the difficulties, we’ve seen that there’s been an effort by the company which, even within the difficulties, is producing”, he said. “This is a very profitable investment. We want the population to grow this crop and also cashew nuts, but without forgetting to produce foodstuffs such as grain, vegetables and pulses. We want a balance between preventing Covid-19 and producing food so that we can develop Mozambique”.

“It is important that we all comply with the measures to prevent the disease, and this involves social distancing, the obligatory use of face masks, washing and disinfecting hands with soap or gel, but without forgetting that we need to feed ourselves adequately”, said the Prime Minister.

AGROPEMA is an investment by Mozambican national capital, covering an area of 300 hectares, of which only 50 hectares are currently under cultivation.

The owner of the company, Mahomed Riaz, says that he has invested more than 56 million meticais (about 800,000 US dollars) in the project over the last seven years, and it is currently employing 50 Mozambican workers.

“The product has a guaranteed market, and what concerns us now is the volume of production”, he added. “While we do not reach the amount needed for export, we have to put it on the national market. We are increased the cultivated area, and in future we intend to export the product to the neighbouring countries, and to Asia”.

Source: AIM