The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, António Francisco de Assis, announced on Wednesday, in the municipality of Cela, Cuanza Sul province, that the country will stop importing corn from this year onwards because farmers and peasant families have produced enough for high food sufficiency.
The minister made this statement during the act of presentation of the project for Fostering Agriculture in the Family Sector in the municipalities of Quibala and Cela .
António Francisco de Assis said that, at the moment, the Carrinho group has in its control more than five million tons produced locally, mostly by peasant families in the country.
He said that farmers and peasant families have to be supported with means, equipment and inputs because 90 percent of the products consumed come from the countryside and are produced by them.
We have to make a serious bet on national production because
is contributing to high food sufficiency.
He stressed that “we are going through an important moment for
change of our economy, because the future of Angola passes through the countryside.
In turn, the administrator of Carrinho Agri, David Maciel, underlined that one of the group’s missions is to replace all imported raw materials used in the industrial process.
As in everyone else, he said, more than 80 percent
that arrives “on our tables” predict from the Family sector and Angola is no different .
Producers need more support in terms of assistance, inputs, market access, logistics and other incentives.
In the municipality of Cela, the Carrinho Agri group controls 3,900 families who are producing on 4,960 hectares.
The group carries out this activity in six provinces of the country, namely Cuanza Sul, Huíla, Benguela, Bié, Huambo and Malanje.
As for the amount invested in the project to promote agriculture in the family sector, it was not revealed, he only said that it started more than a year ago.
They are represented in 51 municipalities and control around 58 thousand producers and intend to reach 150 thousand. cij