Ondjiva- Two hundred hectares of arable land are being prepared for experimental wheat cultivation at the Manquete Agro-industrial Farm, located in the municipality of Ombadja, Cunene province.
Wheat production is one of the major focuses of the planogrão, launched by the Angolan Executive in December 2022, which plans to increase the production of cereals (wheat, rice, soybeans and corn), from the current around 3 to 6 million tons/year, starting in 2027.
The information was provided to ANGOP this Thursday, by the company's project technician, Bruno Jamba, noting that the project's primary production is rice cultivation, but the region has favorable climatic conditions for wheat cultivation.
According to the responsible, the farm has a cultivation area of 1,100 hectares, divided into four production fields, of which 200 hectares are in the preparation phase, the seeds of which will be sown next May.
He explained that the cold period begins in May and the abundant water resources, in addition to fertile soils for agricultural purposes, are key factors in embracing the project, in order to allow the rotation of rice and wheat crops in the production fields.
“We have enough fields to respond to any type of crop, and in 2023, we planted different products such as beans, corn, sorghum, potatoes and vegetables on 100 hectares and harvest levels were above average”, he highlighted.
He argued that the configuration of the production fields only makes it possible to produce rice and wheat on a large scale, because the irrigation system is flooded and not sprinkled.
The purpose of the farm is to ensure quality agricultural production destined for the country's defense and security bodies.
The Agro-industrial Complex, previously belonging to the Sovereign Fund, is currently under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, Former Combatants and Veterans of the Fatherland, through presidential order no. 132/18.
The Manquete project was approved in 2010 by the Angolan Executive, under the lines of the China Development Bank (CDB), with the aim of producing cereals on a large scale in the country and reducing import rates.
With two processing and peeling units, cleaning, packaging bleaching and other equipment, the initial implementation of the project had a budget of $85.511.446,97 (one dollar is worth 833Kz). FI/ LHE/AC/CF/DOJ
