With a view to further boost rice production, the Zambezi Agency has just allocated 30 tractors and 12 harvesters in an overall investment of 160 million meticais.
At Zambezi Valley level, there are about 200 thousand hectares arable for rice production. The equipment is intended to support value chains and availability of rice for seven processing units in the region. In the 2022/2023 campaign, agricultural mechanisation is expected to be boosted.
Every year, producers in that region take at least 300,000 tonnes of the crop from all the fields, raw material that serves to feed seven processing units, with capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of rice per year.
The equipment will benefit 20,000 rice producers based in Zambézia and Sofala provinces. Alves Júnior, delegate of the Zambezi Agency in Zambézia province, said that with the allocated means there would be an increase in production of over 10,000 tons, with a yield of three tons per hectare against the current 1.5 tons.
“Thus, we can increase our production and productivity, since the necessary conditions for the effect have already been created, with the allocation of equipment to our producers. We are going to stop using short-handled hoes and, with greater efficiency and effectiveness, be able to work the soil via the agricultural mechanisation that we are promoting,” said Alves Júnior.
The funding is being managed by a financial institution and aims to support the value chain of rice production, processing, sale and distribution.
In her turn, the administrator of Nicoadala, Adelina Tiroso, said that producers in her district had secured incentives to increase levels of rice production and respective processing.
“Thus, our bet is to produce with our eyes set on the market of the district, the province, the country and maybe in a short future, the world. Our rice is of high quality and, with the mechanisation that is allocated to us, we will only gain if we effectively use the means for the necessary purposes,” said Tiroso, adding that this year the Muziva irrigation system in Nicoadala district is expected to be operational.
