Mozambique’s Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Roberto Albino, announced on Friday (17) that Mozambique and Belarus will accelerate cooperation on agricultural mechanisation following the identification of a financing solution that will enable the implementation of projects aimed primarily at the country’s smallholder farming sector.
“This visit has provided a financing solution. From now on, the technical teams from Mozambique and Belarus will work together to prepare a proposal for the Development Bank of Belarus,” the minister said after talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov in Maputo.
According to Albino, agricultural mechanisation is the main pillar of cooperation between the two countries, following the visit of a Mozambican delegation to Belarus around a year ago.
“We identified that Mozambique needs an intermediate stage of mechanisation, between hand hoes and large tractors. There is enormous potential to mechanise agriculture, particularly in the family farming sector,” he said.
Roberto Albino added that technical teams from both countries have already been established to prepare the financing package, after which negotiations on the agreements and project implementation will begin.
“We have not set specific deadlines, but both sides are committed to making this process as swift as possible so that the project can be implemented as soon as possible,” he stated.
For his part, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said Minsk intends to give new momentum to bilateral relations with Maputo by making the country’s technology, expertise and experience available to support Mozambique’s agricultural development.
“The Belarusian side, with its technology, experience and expertise, is ready to participate in Mozambique’s Agricultural Sector Mechanisation Programme, contributing to strengthening the country’s food security while expanding bilateral cooperation into other areas,” Ryzhenkov said.
Maxim Ryzhenkov is on an official visit to Mozambique from Thursday until Saturday (18), aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.
The Belarusian foreign minister also said his country is prepared to supply agricultural products to the Mozambican market, including poultry, powdered milk, butter and baby food, while expressing interest in importing products such as nuts, tea, tobacco and seafood from Mozambique.
According to Ryzhenkov, the discussions also covered the reactivation of the Joint Bilateral Commission and the establishment of a trilateral cooperation framework involving Belarus, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to implement joint economic projects.
During the meeting, both governments also agreed to expedite the convening of the Fourth Mozambique–Belarus Joint Commission later this year, while deepening economic and diplomatic cooperation, as well as collaboration in the fields of defence, security and investment promotion.
Source: Lusa
