Mozambique: Government calls for greater recognition of locally produced potatoes

The Government is calling for measures to prioritise the purchase and consumption of potatoes produced in Mozambique, as a way of protecting national farmers, stimulating domestic production and strengthening food sovereignty.

The position was expressed on Wednesday, 21 October, by the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Roberto Mito Albino, during a working visit to the Horta Boa farm in Moamba district, Maputo province.

During the visit, the minister observed the potato harvest from a crop planted across 100 hectares, as part of a private initiative aiming to achieve a production target of 5,000 tonnes.

The farm employs around 400 workers, 120 of whom were involved in potato harvesting. The crop is of strategic importance for job creation, increasing food supplies and strengthening food and nutritional security in the country.

To promote national production, Roberto Mito Albino called for market management mechanisms that give priority to local products, with imports reserved for situations in which domestic supply is insufficient to meet demand.

“We have to find a way to manage the market so that, in fact, the national product is given priority,” he stressed, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to promoting national agricultural production.

The minister also highlighted the need to improve farmers’ competitiveness, announcing meetings with producers to identify constraints that could be addressed through Government intervention.

The initiative aims to create better conditions for the development of agricultural activity, encouraging producers to increase supply and meet the needs of the domestic market.

“We will meet with producers to encourage them once again to continue investing in production, because only in this way can we achieve our food sovereignty,” minister Albino said.

For his part, Horta Boa farm representative Vieira Lino said the country had a market capable of absorbing locally produced potatoes. However, he called for conditions to be created that would facilitate the distribution of produce and ensure that farmers obtained a return on their investments.