The Mozambican Minister of Agriculture, Celso Correia, said today that the outlook for the agricultural campaign is good, with rain and 5% growth, but stressed that “social peace”, in the current context of post-election demonstrations, is essential.
"It is very important to have social peace, because social peace allows us to produce, it allows each family that has its own activity to develop and have its income unaffected. So, among all the conditions, in addition to those of climate, financing, working conditions, social peace is essential for us to be able to have a peaceful campaign next year", he stated.
Since the general elections of October 9, Mozambique has already registered about ten days of strikes and demonstrations, which degenerated into violence, called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognize the results announced by the National Electoral Commission, which gave victory to candidate Daniel Chapo (70.67%), supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power since 1975), and which still need to be validated by the Constitutional Council.
Celso Correia, who was speaking in Maputo on the sidelines of the coordinating council of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, predicted that the 2024/2025 agricultural campaign will see a 5% growth, as a result of the expected rainfall.
"It is important to note that a large part of agriculture in Mozambique is naturally dependent on rain, it depends on the level of rainfall, and this year we will have an abundance, due to 'El Niño'. All the data we have in our possession indicate that we will have good rainfall, which will allow us to provide the necessary coverage in different terms throughout the national territory", he assured.
He recalled that the southern part of the country is already experiencing rain - the rainy season in Mozambique runs from October to April -, while in the central and northern areas the launch time of the cement plant will be "a little later".
"The agricultural calendar has been affected by these climate changes, but the expectation is that in the next campaign we will have good weather, this will have a positive impact on production", he said.
"At the moment we have good prospects, prospects that indicate growth of over 5% (...), but it will depend on other important factors as well. We know that the level of use of certified seeds is increasing, the use of fertilizers is also increasing, we are expecting to see a recovery in the sugar sector, which suffered losses due to the floods", he added.
With the consumer market in the south heavily dependent on agricultural imports from neighboring South Africa, Celso Correia admitted the need to "improve" Mozambican competitiveness in the sector.
"In order to be able to compete, [it is necessary] to control the borders a little better, because we also have a lot of smuggling, which sometimes enters and makes competition unfair, and (...) we have to help producers improve quality. The market also determines this exercise, but it is a gradual process", he explained.
He highlighted bananas as an example, which are already a major Mozambican export product, but on the other hand, he pointed out the case of tomatoes: "We still do not have enough technology to allow off-season greenhouse production, while South Africans do. So, when the climate changes in Mozambique, local supplies disappear, leaving us at the mercy of external supplies."
He therefore defended the need for this investment, given the "imbalances" in the sector.
"We are monitoring and recording gradual changes, not the ones we would like, we would like to have total independence, but there are significant advances that show that we are beginning to have bolder agricultural entrepreneurs who are seeking more advanced technologies. We have many young people, particularly in the Maputo area, in the green zones, implementing new technologies and entering the market aggressively," he concluded.
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