The Government, through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, has invited society to invest in agro-processing as a way of fully utilising the agricultural products of communities.
According to Agência de Informação de Moçambique, the challenge was launched this Thursday (22) in Maputo by the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES), Daniel Nivagara, during the ‘VII National Seminar for the Dissemination and Awards Gala for Agro-Processing Innovations’.
At the event, he emphasised that agro-processing is strategic for the country’s sustainable development. He said that Mozambique has immense agricultural potential for vegetables, cereals, pulses, roots and tubers, among other crops.
‘The processing of agricultural products represents a great opportunity to create employment, reduce poverty and increase food security, especially in rural areas,’ he said.
However, according to the minister, most of the production is consumed in snatches, without the processing to meet needs in times of scarcity, with the result that much of the processed food continues to be imported.
Cereals, fruit, roots and tubers are the products of national agriculture most consumed by the population, especially in rural areas. That’s why this year, 2024, saw the launch of the ‘III edition of the National Competition for Innovations in Community Development’, with agro-processing as its theme, an initiative aimed at discovering and promoting solutions in this sector.
‘In this edition, 252 proposals for innovations from all corners of Mozambique took part, covering various areas such as agro-processing in cereals, meat, fish, fruit, roots and tubers,’ he said.
The source added that ‘the solutions presented by our innovators are a reflection of the creativity and commitment of Mozambicans to contribute to the country’s development’.
The processing of agricultural products represents a great opportunity to create jobs, reduce poverty and increase food security, especially in rural areas
Daniel Nivagara
Such development, Daniel Nivagara pointed out, would be based on solutions to local challenges, but also unequivocal proof of the application of knowledge and science to generate solutions that empower communities and enhance development opportunities.
The need for funding
Salim Valá, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Stock Exchange (BVM), recognised the weakness of funding in this sector, which receives an average of 4% of local credit.
‘We need a robust and integrated system, where different players operate with a long-term perspective, as well as converging synergies for the implementation of structuring Science, Technology and Innovation policies,’ he emphasised.
Egas Albino, a specialist in cassava agro-processing for the production of flour, starch and various other derivatives, an activity he has been carrying out for ten years, in which he has 11 employees, said that between 2023 and 2024 he would invest close to 25.2 million meticals (400,000 dollars) of his own funds in his business.
This has led him to point to the lack of financial support as the main constraint on the development of the business. ‘As you can understand, there are no institutions in the country dedicated exclusively to supporting the innovation component. We may have the idea of identifying a solution or equipment for processing, but this idea needs to be financially supported,’ he emphasised.
To this end, the businessman recommended that the government seek exclusive financial support for the sector ‘so that we can develop or expand our ideas’.
The event, which runs from 22 to 23 August, was organised by MCTES, through the Centre for Research and Technology Transfer for Community Development (CITT), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Mozambique Stock Exchange (BVM), ATMS (Mauritius Foundation for Innovation Processes), EMOSE (Mozambican Insurance Company), the National Research Fund (FNI), the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA) and Televisão de Moçambique (TVM).
