The Mozambican government intends to strengthen the Agrarian Sector Coordination Committee (CCSA) to set investment priorities, mobilise financing and improve coordination among public institutions, producers, companies and development partners, as it seeks to chart a new course for agricultural development following the closure of the Sustenta programme.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Roberto Albino, at the closing session of the first Coordinating Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries (MAAP), held on 10 October in Maputo Province.

Roberto Albino argued that the CCSA should function as a concertation platform bringing together the state, producers, the private sector, financial institutions, universities and development partners, enabling stakeholders to identify needs, set priorities and coordinate investments.

The initiative follows the conclusion of Sustenta, a programme that defined the agricultural development strategy of the previous government cycle. Roberto Albino called for provincial and district-level institutions to play a more active role in shaping agricultural policy, rather than limiting themselves to implementing decisions made at the central level.

“The province and the district should not be seen merely as sites for executing centrally determined guidelines. They must participate in identifying problems, defining solutions and evaluating results,” he said.

According to the minister, this broader participation will allow public interventions to be tailored to local needs and will enable the results of implemented measures to be properly assessed.

Faced with the constraints of public resources, Roberto Albino identified the mobilisation of private investment and improved access to financing as key conditions for growth in the agricultural sector.

“Public resources are limited and must be applied, with rigour, to the sector’s essential functions, the delivery of services and investments that produce effective impact,” he said.

The minister also advocated the development of value chains linking agricultural production, processing and marketing, creating opportunities for both producers and companies.

“This is not about replacing the initiative of producers and entrepreneurs, but about removing the obstacles that limit their capacity to produce, innovate and generate employment,” he added.

2027 Plan to Integrate Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries

Roberto Albino also called for stronger coordination across agriculture, the environment and fisheries, both in priority-setting and in the execution of public programmes.

To that end, he argued that the Economic and Social Plan and State Budget (PESOE) for 2027 should adopt an integrated approach across the sectors under the MAAP’s mandate, with targets and indicators that allow results to be tracked.

Roberto Albino further identified the Strategic Plan for the Development of the Agrarian Sector (PEDSA 2036) as the reference framework for guiding interventions in the sector, to be implemented in coordination with the ministry’s other strategic instruments.