Luena - The minister of the Western province of Zambia, Kapelwa Mbangueta, has expressed, in the Angolan city of Luena, Moxico Province, his country's interest in gaining Angola's experience in cassava production.
The official who spoke to the press, at the end of a visit to the Terezinha farm, the largest in the Eastern Region of the country, as part of the 1st Angola-Zambia business forum, taking place from the 26th to the 29th of this month in the city of Luena, highlighted the quality and short production time of this tuber.
He revealed that in his country, they take three years to produce cassava, unlike Angola, which has the product ready in one year and three months.
The official also highlighted the commitment to diversifying cultures, stating that his country wants to try Angola in this field.
In turn, he informed that cassava in Zambia is already processed for the production of paper, alcoholic beverages and animal feed, in addition to food use, an experience that he also intends to pass on to Angola.
The largest farm in the east of the country produces four million tons of cassava annually.
As part of their visit, the Zambian delegation was informed that the T-Mariz farm, the largest cassava producer in the country's eastern corridor, makes 4,800 tons of this tuber available annually, on an area of 200 hectares.
Despite this quantity, the farm manager, José Mariz, said that the cultivation of this food is still done manually, due to the high cost of acquiring the material for production.
The cassava produced is sold to a local company that turns it into cornmeal, while the surplus supplies the informal markets in the region's three provinces, namely Moxico, Lunda-Sul and Lunda-Norte provinces.
Besides cassava, the farm produces beans, corn, sweet potatoes, vegetables, as well as raising cattle, pigs, goats and poultry.
Kapelwa Mbangueta expressed his country's willingness to share its experience, with a view to increasing production levels, taking into account the knowledge and high potential that this country has in the agricultural fields.
The Terezinha farm, located south of the city of Luena, is 80 kilometers from the city of Luena and has 1000 hectares, employing 60 workers.
The province of Moxico produces an annual average of more than one million tons of cassava, while the country has a production level above 11 million tons, making it the fifth largest producer in Africa.
ISAU/TC/YD/MRA/jmc
