The Mozambican government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Niassa province into the country’s agricultural capital, pledging to prioritise investment and implement a strategic agrarian development plan. The commitment was made by Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Roberto Albino during a working visit to the province.
Albino was speaking on Sunday 26 at a meeting with members of the provincial government and agribusiness entrepreneurs. He said the initiative forms part of the executive’s priorities to increase agricultural output and strengthen national food security.
The plan envisages increased production of staple foods, including cereals, pulses, beans and soya. The government also intends to expand into poultry, fisheries and cash crops — both traditional and emerging — with particular emphasis on cashew and macadamia.
“Niassa will be the capital of agriculture, which means it is the place where resources must be prioritised to make large-scale production happen,” Albino said. He added: “But this will only be possible if we are all engaged so that this objective is achieved.”
According to the minister, the action plan for agrarian development in Niassa is structured around the next three agricultural seasons. The strategy envisages the involvement of multiple stakeholders, who are expected to contribute technical knowledge, experience and professional capacity to meet the defined targets.
During the meeting, Niassa’s provincial director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Flávia Langa, highlighted that the province has approximately ten million hectares of arable land. Of this total, around 2.8 million hectares are available for production, while approximately 223,000 hectares hold a Land Use and Benefit Right (DUAT), making them available for partnership arrangements.
Langa noted that Niassa has favourable conditions for the production of a broad range of agricultural crops, including maize, cotton, tobacco, soya, groundnuts, sweet potato, Irish potato, sorghum, cowpea, vegetables, citrus, mango, papaya, guava, pineapple and cashew. She also highlighted the province’s aquaculture potential, estimated at approximately 58,000 hectares of areas suited to fish production.
This potential, Langa explained, is supported by shallow water tables, permanent springs, extended rainfall periods and sandy-clay soils — conditions considered favourable for aquaculture development.
The provincial director further underscored that Niassa holds significant water resources, including lakes Niassa, Amaramba, Chiuta and Chirua, as well as the Lugenda, Messalo and Rovuma rivers and their tributaries. These resources reinforce the province’s fisheries potential, which encompasses a diverse range of fish species.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/07/27/desenvolvimento-2/niassa-deve-voltar-a-ser-a-capital-agricola-de-mocambique-defende-governo/
