Mozambique and China are developing a framework to establish a cassava value chain in the country, with the aim of boosting agricultural output, promoting local processing, and facilitating the entry of Mozambican products into the Chinese market.

The initiative entered a new phase following a meeting held in Shenzhen, China, between the Mozambique Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCMI) and Chinese partners. The meeting focused on defining an implementation plan for a memorandum of understanding signed in Maputo on 1 October.

According to the independent newspaper Integrity, the meeting was attended by the CCMI Board Chair, Thani Cabir, and the Executive Director of the Mozambique Chamber of Commerce (CCM), Fileu Pave. In its first phase, the project will be implemented in the provinces of Gaza and Inhambane, covering cassava production, processing, and marketing activities.

Execution of the agreement will involve producer cooperatives, business associations, and private partners, with Longrun Group playing a prominent role. The company is expected to support technology transfer, improve the capacity of smallholder farmers, and contribute to job creation in the communities covered by the project.

The initiative is designed to respond to Chinese demand for cassava-derived products. China currently imports approximately four million tonnes of cassava chips, eight million tonnes of starch, 1.5 million tonnes of unprocessed cassava, and more than 50,000 tonnes of flour annually.

This volume of demand represents an opportunity for Mozambique to diversify its agricultural exports and expand the domestic processing of agricultural goods. The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers and agro-industrial small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Gaza and Inhambane, creating conditions for their more active participation in supplying these products.

The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to diversify Mozambican exports and deepen trade relations with China. In this context, the CCMI and CCM are expected to mobilise, in the coming months, producer cooperatives and local associations in the two provinces covered by the project.

This mobilisation aims to ensure community involvement across the different phases of implementation and to lay the groundwork for the project's long-term continuity. The objective is to strengthen the participation of domestic producers at every stage of the cassava value chain, from production through to commercialisation.