Malanje – An overall 3 million US dollars is to be channeled for the operationalization of the Southern African Development Community(SADC )’s Regional Cassava Leadership Centre, set to be launched within three months in the northern Malanje Province, with the aim to strengthen research on the crop and boost the value chain.
The information was disclosed Tuesday by the coordinator of the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA), Joaquim César, on the occasion of the 27th Scientific Council of the Agronomic Research Institute (IIA) being held since Monday in Malanje.
Cesar said the preparations are under way for the launching of the referred centre, which will have a research complex with laboratories, greenhouses and other facilities to be supported by 50 technicians from the Agronomic Research Institute (IIA).
Mr Antunes said the SADC Regional Cassava Leadership Centre is part of the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa that started in 2020, and that, despite having cassava as main crop, includes research on other products such as maize, peanuts and beans.
He said the APPSA is budgeted at 25 million US dollars and has as its main axis the generation and dissemination of technology for the aforementioned crops with eight sub-projects already underway to improve the cultivation system and consequent transformation.
Besides Angola, APPSA also includes Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Lesotho, where regional centres of leadership for rice, corn, legumes and vegetables will be created.
The programme is funded by the World Bank.
