The Minister of Planning and Development, Salim Valá, highlighted the strategic importance of the final results of the Third Agricultural and Livestock Census (CAP 2023/24), which identified around 5.2 million agricultural holdings in Mozambique. Valá said the data represents an essential tool for guiding more effective evidence-based public policies.
The information was contained in a speech received on Thursday (21) by Diário Económico during a dissemination seminar held in Maputo. In the document, the minister stressed that the census constitutes a fundamental basis for improving national development planning. Salim Valá reinforced that “no consistent structural transformation can be built on vague perceptions.”
The minister framed CAP 2023/24 within a context of structural challenges, including rural poverty, food security and climate change. He argued that statistical information is now crucial for more rigorous public decision-making. According to him, the census is “a strategic instrument of economic and territorial intelligence,” aimed at strengthening the State’s planning and intervention capacity.
The results indicate that 38% of agricultural holdings are headed by women, highlighting the central role of women in food production. Salim Valá also noted that around 99.9% of the units are small and medium-sized farms, with family farming predominating.
The minister stated that “more than 84% of farms have less than two hectares.” These figures highlight structural challenges related to productivity and sector modernisation.
He further revealed that cultivated land in the country exceeds 6.5 million hectares, corresponding to 17.8% of available arable land. The minister stressed that Mozambique still has significant untapped agricultural potential.
He argued that “the future of economic transformation is linked to commercial and agro-industrial agriculture,” reinforcing the need for structural investment in the sector.
In the livestock sector, the census recorded around 2.4 million cattle, 4.2 million goats and 16 million chickens. Salim Valá highlighted the importance of these livestock numbers for household food security in Mozambique.
The minister also pointed to the modernisation of the process through the use of tablets and GPS technology. “Technological innovation enabled greater precision in the georeferencing of agricultural holdings,” he said.
The census covered almost the entire national territory, with the exception of some districts in Cabo Delgado Province due to security reasons. Salim Valá explained that data collection took place between December 2024 and June 2025.
“The future of economic transformation is linked to commercial and agro-industrial agriculture”
Salim Valá
The process followed the modular methodology recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization, based on the 2017 Population and Housing Census. The minister considered that this framework reinforces the credibility of the results.
Salim Valá also stated that the data will feed into the National Development Strategy 2025–44 and the Government’s Five-Year Programme 2025–29. According to him, “the results will strengthen the quality of public decisions,” with a focus on food security, agricultural investment and rural development.
The CAP is also expected to improve the monitoring and evaluation of public policies.
Concluding, the minister said that “official statistics are not an end in themselves, but strategic planning instruments,” defending the use of the data to drive economic growth and reduce inequalities. The CAP 2023/24 is regarded as a milestone in consolidating evidence-based planning in Mozambique.
