The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Jorge Jairoce, said this Friday, 15 December, during the annual review of the implementation of the National Food Fortification Programme, that its success depends on the commitment of everyone involved.
For the representative of the industrial sector, Orlando da Conceição, quoted by Rádio Moçambique, the challenge is to mobilise resources to increase demand for fortified foods, with a view to encouraging the producing sector and industries to invest in the business.
He also said that the smuggling of maize flour and the revision of food fortification regulations are challenges to be faced. “Most of the maize that is circulating on the formal market comes from smuggling, which means that this flour does not comply with fortification standards, as well as taking income away from our farmers. They lose the opportunity to put their maize flour on the commercial market and thus earn additional income,” he explained.
Orlando da Conceição added that the salt circulating on the national market is also dubious. “The inspection agents have a hard time because they don’t have quick inspection kits,” he said. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce is aware of the problems and points to the conformity assessment of imported products as a solution.
According to the government, 37 per cent of children under five suffer from malnutrition in the country.
UNICEF’s Nutrition Manager, Doroth Foote, emphasised the importance of implementing food fortification in Mozambique, as chronic malnutrition continues to be a reality in the country.
The National Food Fortification Programme was implemented in Mozambique for the first time in 2013.
