Malanje - The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, António de Assis, reiterated on Tuesday, in Malanje, the need for the country to reach annual production of 10 million tons of corn, to meet the grain's consumption levels.
The government official made this statement at the opening of the corn harvesting campaign at the Quizenga Lutete Farm, in the municipality of Cacuso, highlighting that currently the country's production is only 4 million and 500 thousand tons/year, a figure that does not cover the needs from the market.
He stated that everything has been done to reach this figure year after year, with forecasts of reaching six million tons in the next harvests.
Malanje is considered the corn capital at the country level, on a business scale, due to the fact that the largest production farms are found in this province, particularly in the municipality of Cacuso, with emphasis on Quizenga Lutete, Gesterra, Pipe and others, according to the minister.
He made it known that for the campaign now open, a harvest of 10 tons of corn is expected for each of the 1,200 hectares planted at the Quizenga Lutete Farm.
He said that with this harvest, the country will gain significantly in the production of this crop and will enter the world of corn, producing for food self-sufficiency and perhaps for export.
He highlighted, on the other hand, the steps that Malanje has been taking in rice production in the Songo region, especially in the municipality of Luquembo, where soybeans are also currently being cultivated on an experimental basis.
He pointed out the province of Huambo as the largest in corn production in the family sector, hence the aforementioned cereal is the crop of choice in the southern region, including production in Benguela and Cuanza-Sul.
In turn, the director of the Quizenga Lutete Farm, Félix Tchissapa, said that compared to the 2022/23 agricultural campaign, this year, an increase in production levels is estimated, with 7.5 tons having been harvested compared to 10 tons per year. hectare, expected.
He explained that in addition to increasing the scale of production, the unit is working to transform corn and grow soybeans, the first production of the second season taking place this February.
The launch of the corn harvest culminated in the delivery of land concession titles to 17 young people for the production of reindeer potatoes, beans and corn.
They will benefit from two hectares and five million kwanzas each, in addition to technical assistance and seeds to guarantee successful production, income generation and jobs.
Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Quizenga Lutete Farm occupies an area of 5 thousand hectares and has 19 irrigation pivots, four silos with a total storage capacity of nine thousand tons of corn and 60 employees, including nationals and expatriates. NC/PBC/DOJ
