The Angolan government spent $31.7 million to import nearly 12,000 tons of seeds in 2025, Augusto da Silva, director-general of the National Seed Service (Sense), said Thursday (19) in Luanda.
The director, who was presenting the current situation of Sense to the advisory council of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, revealed that of the total 11,993 tons of seeds, the majority were cereals and legumes (6,331 tons), which cost the state $14.8 million.
“This amount is very high,” said Augusto da Silva, calling for investment in this area.
During the same period, 2,554 tons of vegetable seeds and 2,405 tons of Reno potato seeds were imported, costing the Angolan state $11.4 million and $2.3 million, respectively.
In the 2025 agricultural year, 6,930 tons of seeds were produced, with emphasis on corn, beans, and wheat crops, “guaranteed by only two companies.”
He emphasized that last year, vegetable seeds, “unfortunately the most smuggled,” had the highest percentage submitted for laboratory analysis, with 73.98% of the total 269 samples analyzed.
In addition to being the most smuggled seeds, he continued, their shelf life is short “and when poorly stored, they deteriorate very quickly.”
For the next agricultural year, Sense plans to produce around 7,500 tons of seeds, including corn, beans, rice, wheat, soybeans, massango, and massambala (traditional African cereals).
Source: Lusa
