The number of Mozambican farmers who have access to bank credit does not even reach 1%, standing at only 0.6%, according to the 2020 Integrated Agricultural Survey released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The survey was taken over three months beginning in September 2020, and covered 140 of the country’s 154 districts.
The survey, presented by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Celso Correia, found that small agricultural holdings, numbering just over 4.1 million, dominate the structure of the sector in Mozambique, followed at a distance by medium-sized holdings, numbering 93,183 units.
Only 873 units are classified as large farms.
Small farms include family farming, a source of livelihood for most Mozambican families, while large farms are conventional businesses, with medium-sized farms being situated between the two paradigms.
Significantly, according to the survey, the main drivers of the increase in productive acreage in Mozambique – which rose from just over 3.6 million hectares in 2017 to around 5.2 million hectares in 2020 – are new small agricultural producers.
The survey indicates that Mozambican farmers have low access to technology, citing irrigation systems, which cover only 9.3% of producers.
Only 7.8% use chemical fertilisers, 5.5% pesticides, 1.8% herbicides and 8.8% manure.
But access to detailed price information has increased significantly in the last four years, reaching 39.9% of producers against 18.4% in 2017.
The percentage of post-harvest losses stagnated between 2017 and 2020, remaining at 13.5%.
The numbers show a 19% rise in the number of small farms, an increase paralleling national demographic growth of 2% a year.
Speaking after presenting the survey results, Minister Correia said that Mozambique now had reliable data for the sector, which would allow improved planning for the growth of agricultural development.
“This was a strategic orientation by the government [to carry out the survey] to make sure we have reliable data for our planning,” Correia said.
The survey will be available to the public from the 15th of this month.
Lusa
