The district of Vilankulo, in Inhambane province, expects to harvest, in the first season of the current agricultural season, about 363,270 tons of various crops, especially maize and groundnuts.
This figure should correspond to an increase of more than 6,000 tons in agricultural production, compared to the previous period, when 357,263 tons of diverse crops were produced.
To this end, the district has prepared an area of about 64,153 hectares and agricultural activities are already underway.
According to the district director of Economic Activities, Esperança Paulino, the increase in production will also result from the increase in the area of cultivation, a bet that aims to guarantee food security and boost production in the family sector.
“Initially 85 hectares of land were cultivated in the 2019/2020 agricultural season. This area was increased to 130 hectares. This growth is accompanied by a significant increase in producers with access to agricultural equipment,” he said.
According to the source, the 2019/2020 agricultural campaign was atypical following the drought. However, despite this phenomenon, there was a 72.2 percent performance.
It assures, therefore, that food security in the district is guaranteed.
“For the current agricultural season, 2020/21, there is hope, since at the very beginning of the campaign we recorded rainfall that allowed for sowing and even then the rainfall continued, which is positive looking at the vegetation of crops in the field,” he said.
Cereal production in the country as a whole is estimated to reach 2.9 million tonnes in the current agricultural year, which is 3% up on the previous harvest, around 900,000 tonnes of legumes, 22.5 million tonnes of roots and tubers and three million tonnes of vegetables.
As for cereals, 2.2 million tonnes of maize and 384 000 tonnes of rice were produced.
Production levels are expected to result from increased cultivation areas, use of animal traction, agricultural mechanisation, improved seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.
