Cuito - President João Lourenço on Thursday in central Bié province has foreseen an increased rice and wheat production that will guarantee food security in the country.
The Head of State, who was speaking to the press at the end of a two-day working visit to the central region of the country, said food security must include an increase in the production of these two types of grain.
João Lourenço said the country has imported almost all of its wheat grain or flour for pastry shops, in order to produce bread and other products.
The President said that he liked the level of wheat production in the municipality of Chinguar, which is why it was selected for the start of the wheat harvest.
In the particular case of the Vinevala farm, considered to be the country’s largest wheat producer, the president underscored the need to nurture and encourage it to continue expanding its production areas.
He stressed that Angola has a tradition of producing grains, but above all maize and beans, but from what was seen at the Cuito agricultural fair and the Vinevala farm, it is beginning to produce two types of grain for which the country does not have a great tradition, in the case of wheat and rice.
"On this visit here in Bié, we learned a great lesson, above all from the humble families in the countryside, who, with their work, with their production, are teaching us how to fight hunger and poverty," Lourenço said.
As regards to fertilizers, the Head of State said the plant in Zaire province, would soon enter into operation, which will cover all the country's needs, or at least supply a very large proportion of what is currently imported.
The president said the government needs to supply the energy produced in Lower Kwanza to the center of the country and municipalities, since these areas are the producers and transformers of what is produced in the countryside.
Lourenço recalled that this was one of the issues addressed during the meeting with the Bié provincial government, at a time when the project to expand the cheap energy produced in Lower Kwanza to the Center, South and East is underway.
The President of the Republic highlighted the inauguration a few days ago of the Cunje hydroelectric dam, which is supplying power to the municipalities of Camacupa and Catabola, in Bié province.
The president stressed that with a greater supply of energy and water, the industrial centers will have the essentials to be developed, having assured the continuity of the maintenance of the roads to facilitate the flow of products from the countryside.
PLANAGRÃO
The Angolan government has drawn up the National Plan for the Promotion of Grain Production (PLANAGRÃO) for wheat, rice, and soya and corn production.
The plan is mainly designed for the provinces of Moxico, Lundas Norte and Lunda Sul regions with available land and favorable climatic conditions for the production of these cereals.
To make PLANAGRÃO a reality, public and private funds will be mobilized, with the State expected to invest 1.178 billion Kwanzas in infrastructure over five years, including the demarcation of two million hectares, allotments and access roads to the production areas.
In addition, 1.674 billion Kwanzas will be invested in the capitalization of the Angolan Development Bank, BDA, and the Angolan Active Venture Capital Fund, FACRA, to finance the national private sector, which is able to produce, logistically and process grains, and guarantee the entire value chain.
Commercial banks will also be able to mobilize funds through Notice 10 of the National Bank of Angola, which guarantees access to credit at more attractive interest rates for promoters of production projects.
The general objectives of PLANAGRÃO are "to guarantee the country's food security, generate income and promote competitiveness" in order to turn Angola into the largest grain producer in southern Africa in the medium term.
With this plan, the government says it is pursuing a number of specific objectives, including: stimulating cereal production; increasing the number of agricultural entrepreneurs and employment; attracting qualified young people to the activity and foreign direct investment from large international companies, which can bring know-how and technology to Angola and to promote the development of the domestic value chains, providing inclusive economic growth.
The Head of State concludes his two-day working visit to Bié province on Thursday afternoon
ALH/PLB/ART/AMP
