Benguela – With its eyes set on exports, the Miuq Royal Agro-Pecuária Farm, in the Cavaco valley, in Benguela, is focused on large-scale banana production, with plans to harvest up to three thousand tons/year.

At a time when the province of Benguela produces around 127 thousand tons/year, businessman Joaquim Vaz Monteiro, 30 years old, owner of Fazenda Miuq Royal, invested more than half a million dollars in the revitalization of an 18-hectare agricultural space in the valley of Cavaco and, a year and a half later, the results are already impressive.

Speaking to ANGOP, Joaquim Vaz Monteiro said that this investment was intended, among others, for the acquisition of Williams-type banana seedlings in South Africa, deforestation of the land, fencing, installation of the water collection and drip irrigation.

The young entrepreneur justifies his preference for improved South African plants, over traditional ones from Cavaco, due to their quality, rapid development – ​​seven to eight months – and excellent productivity, characteristics that make them ideal for export.

Given the short maturation cycle of this banana tree, compared to the normal one that produces between 11 and 12 months, the farm is already harvesting its first fruits, but the businessman reiterates the goal of reaching the three thousand tons planned annually.

Currently, one of only three producers of Williams bananas in the province, the farmer reports that there are 30,000 plants of this highly productive banana tree in his agricultural perimeter, on the banks of the Cavaco River, in the Tchipiandalo neighborhood, in the city of Benguela.

“It's a new project that started a year and a half ago”, he explained, adding that each improved plant costs an average of three dollars on the international market, as it produces with higher quality, on a large scale and in a shorter time.

According to him, banana production at Miuq Royal Farm already generates income for 70 direct workers, including young people, recruited not only in the municipality of Benguela, capital of the province, but also in Baía Farta and Cubal.

Surrendered to the long tradition of the Cavaco valley, based on banana production – which was once exported – Joaquim Vaz Monteiro admits that the project is on track and, therefore, hopes to reach the goal given the investments made so far.

“We have no constraints whatsoever (…). We have everything well aligned to achieve the established goals”, he reinforced, visibly optimistic about a promising banana harvest after a year.

So much so that the pumping system guarantees 240 thousand liters of water/hour for drip irrigation of the 18 hectares of banana plantations, due to the ideal water table conditions on the fertile banks of the Cavaco River.

The energy supply is assured from the public network and access does not pose any problem, because the farm is located a few meters from the National Road EN100, on the Benguela/Lobito section.

Market

The producer announces, with undisguised pride, the destination of the banana harvested at Miuq Royal Farm, with priority for the local market and the provinces of Huíla and Cunene, in the Center-South region of the country.

The next step, he suggested, is to double the production area, in an attempt to help Benguela regain the title of largest banana producer in the country, lost years ago to the province of Bengo.

The entrepreneur sees the expansion of production, from 2025 onwards, as the path to exports, with emphasis on neighboring countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), through the Lobito Railway Corridor, although he does not rule out the European market.

He says that the expectation is that this investment will encourage other farmers in the province of Benguela, especially younger ones, to invest heavily in banana cultivation, considered an “ex-libris” of the Cavaco valley.

From lethargy to dynamism

Looking back, Joaquim Vaz Monteiro remembers that in the space that today constitutes the Miuq Royal Farm, some insignificant production of vegetables and mangoes predominated, which would catch his attention.

Therefore, he says he started this project from scratch, with deforestation and felling of mango trees, which, due to the shade, would not be favorable for banana production.

In addition, he also reports on the construction of the wall, acquisition of plants in South Africa and installation of the state-of-the-art plumbing system.

Now, the businessman is excited about the results already achieved and which bring encouragement for so much work done to change the reality of the perimeter, where 700 grafted mango plants are still growing to compensate for deforestation.

Livestock farming is another focus of the young businessman, who reveals that he has acquired some heads of cattle of different breeds for breeding in an area close to the farm, with a view to commercialization.

Without beating around the bush, Joaquim Vaz Monteiro “boasts” that he is developing an innovative and sustainable project, which will grow over time, generating local employability and creating, in the future, a leisure environment for people.

New Era

Owner of the “Quim Monteiro” pharmacy chain, the interviewee recognizes that there is another vision on the part of businesspeople in the sector, as the Government's projects for the productive sector advance along the Lobito Corridor.

And he highlights the willpower of rural men, at the same time that he believes that the green belt of Cavaco will once again be the lung of Benguela's economy, if only the State supports farmers' projects.

“We have good, true farmers here. But, sometimes, they are neither found nor found”, he argues, recognizing the experience and tradition of these farmers in banana production, lacking only support for the Cavaco valley to return to its golden age.

The now boss of Miuq Royal Farm, whose achievements in the business world began at the age of 16, in agriculture, before entering the pharmaceutical sector, sees the countryside as the future of the country and the path to economic diversification.

Therefore, he challenges other young entrepreneurs to be more persistent in the face of difficulties, starting small, medium and, little by little, becoming big. JH/CRB/DOJ