Food Life will lay the first stone for the construction of an agro-food industry on Friday (22), in the municipality of Camanongue, in Moxico Province, marking a 3 million dollar investment.
The company guarantees that the plant will have the capacity to process 20,000 tonnes of rice per year and is expected to create 56 direct jobs and 100 indirect jobs.
According to a Food Life statement, the infrastructure will be built over a period of seven months and will focus on rice processing, with the aim of adding value to the regional supply chain.
The launch ceremony will be witnessed by the Ministers of Industry and Trade, Rui Miguêns de Oliveira, and Agriculture and Forestry, Isaac Maria dos Anjos.
According to Food Life CEO Osvaldo João, agricultural projects are essential to improving the living conditions of people in rural areas of Angola.
“This factory could unlock the potential of smallholder farmers as key agents of change to transform food systems in the East in particular and in the country in general,” he said.
The company says the project is designed as the initial phase of a broader plan aimed at the progressive implementation of an agro-industrial complex in the region.
In this regard, future expansion is planned, including the installation of a silo complex, processing units for beans, maize and animal feed, as well as a soybean and sunflower extrusion facility, promoting productive integration of family farming and the sustainable use of agricultural potential in the East.
Osvaldo João argues that this is the first initiative of its kind in the region, marking a strategic step in strengthening national production capacity, with a direct impact on food security, local economic dynamisation and job creation.
Currently, Food Life operates three rice production farms in the provinces of Malanje, Moxico and Cuando. In Moxico, it is developing a rice promotion project involving around 130 cooperatives.
Founded in July 2020, Food Life was created to respond to the Angolan Government’s strategy of boosting domestic production, reducing imports and promoting high-quality food produced sustainably.
The company operates a modern manufacturing facility in the municipality of Belas, in Luanda, prioritising the hiring of local community residents in its workforce, in a model aimed at direct economic and social impact.
