Luanda - One hundred and 73 agricultural cooperative projects have been financed with about 1.34 billion kwanzas, through the creation of Community Funds, the chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Fund to Support Agrarian Development (FADA), Felisbela Francisco, announced Tuesday in Luanda.
ccording to the manager, who was speaking at the 25th thematic session on the "programme to accelerate family farming and strengthen food security", this funding has directly benefited 8,650 cooperative members, making a total of 50,170 indirect beneficiaries, including their households.
She also said that with the increase in cultivated areas by 15,571 hectares, agricultural production is expected to total 148,189 tonnes of various products, including maize, beans, cassava, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.
According to her, the numbers are included in the "Osi Yetu" Programme for Accelerating Family Farming and Strengthening Food Security, with an estimated total cost of 85.67 billion kwanzas, and the funding is covered by the Strategic Plan (PEFADA) 2023-2026.
She added that the programme is expected to increase production and productivity levels of the main products widely consumed by society by around 3,557,000 tonnes, adding that despite the formal date of the programme's approval by Presidential Decree, the developed actions present the execution level at 15,37%.
Felisbela Francisco said that the funds serve for the mechanisation, recuperation of the idle tractors, promote the creation of Community Social Centres in the cooperatives, as well as to strengthen their financial, production and management capacity.
The estimated amount will serve to create and finance technological packages (PATEC), containing equipment combined with seeds, fertilisers and other supplies..
According to her, the FADA Agent should be implemented as a mechanism for decentralising funding and bringing family farmers closer together.
The Programme to Accelerate Family Farming and Strengthen Food Security aims to boost the diversification of agricultural production and productivity, combat hunger and poverty, guarantee food and nutritional security and contribute to the country's economic growth.
The project also aims to accelerate the production of market-oriented family forestry goods, strengthen levels of technical training and mass financing for the family farming sub-sector, improve levels of food and nutritional security, self-sufficiency in some products, as well as modernising the sub-sector and transforming the current model into a commercial one.
FADA is the indirect administration body responsible for providing financial resources for actions aimed at developing peasant food production and agro-industry.
The thematic session is promoted by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Media (MINTTICS), as part of the Government's programme to strengthen relations with citizens. HM/VC/MRA/DOJ
