Samba Lucala - The Samba Lucala Farm, in Kwanza-Norte province, will be incorporated into the business plans of the Social Security Institute of the Angolan Armed Forces (ISS FAA), with a view to producing for the sustainability of the organisation.
Speaking to the journalists on Wednesday, the Secretary of State for Military Industry, Afonso Neto, explained that with agricultural and livestock projects, the FAA's ISS ‘has been called upon to develop a business plan that will enable it to have greater sources of income.
The Secretary of State was speaking at the ceremony marking the effective handover of the farm from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to the Ministry of National Defence and Veterans of the Homeland, an act witnessed by Kwanza-Norte's deputy provincial governor for the Political, Economic and Social sector, Luzia José, who guaranteed the local government's unconditional support for the materialisation of production-related actions.
According to Afonso Neto, the transfer of the farm to the military sphere is the corollary of the fulfilment of yet another mission, given the experience demonstrated in the management and production of the agro-industrial farms of Camacupa, in Bié province, and Manquete, in Cunene.
State Secretary considered that, given its size, the Samba Lucala enterprise, in the province of Kwanza-Norte, would need specialists in agricultural sciences to help catapult it forward and contribute to feeding the livestock.
In turn, the Secretary of State for Forestry, João da Cunha, said that the farm represents the Executive's commitment to focusing its actions on the agricultural sector, increasing production levels, the diet and reducing imports.
With a gross area of 3,229 hectares, 200 hectares are currently being cultivated on this farm, whose 2002/2023 agricultural season saw a harvest of 5,200 tons of grains and cereals. It is expected that, in addition to grains and cereals, coffee and horticulture will be grown on the perimeter.
Stil in Kwanza-Norte, the FAA is going to invest in poultry and cattle breeding, with the first ‘matrices’ for raising the animals expected to come from South Africa, according to the head of the ISS investment centre, Fábio Belo.
‘We are starting to prepare projects to move into the production of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats,’ he said, indicating that the surplus of both agricultural products and meat will be directed to the market.
Production will be carried out by ex-military personnel. FM/IMA/VC/DAN/DOJ
