Luanda – President João Lourenço took part Thursday in the start of the wheat harvest campaign on the Vinevala farm, located in Chinguar municipality, central Bie province.
João Lourenço used a sickle to cut a few ears of the cereal and then climbed onto a piece of mechanized harvesting equipment to drive it several meters and harvest a larger quantity of wheat.
After this symbolic act, the President of the Republic went on to the village of Chinguar, where he visited the industry that processes wheat into flour, owned by the Vinevala farm.
The President received explanations about the processes involved in the wheat production chain from the entrepreneur Alfeo Vinevala, currently the country's largest wheat producer.
There are approximately 15,000 tons to be harvested of this cereal, planted on 5, 80 hectares of land, compared to the 3,000 cultivated last season.
João Lourenço took the opportunity to take a guided tour at the farm, which covers approximately 15,000 hectares and produced more than 18,000 tons of various products in the previous agricultural season, including wheat, corn, beans, soybeans, peas, tomatoes, pineapples and potatoes.
The factory that processes wheat into flour, which also belongs to the Vinevala estate, has the capacity to produce 60 tons a day.
It could be fully operational by September this year, although it has already been operating on a trial basis since the end of the last quarter of 2023. The Vinevala farm expects to set up pasta, bakery and seed processing plants to join the corn industry already operating in this region.
By September of this year, the farm expects to have created 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, compared to around 4,000 at present, judging by the increase in investment in growing wheat and other products.
PLANAGRÃO
The Angolan government has drawn up the National Plan for the Promotion of Grain Production (PLANAGRÃO) for wheat, rice, and soya and corn production.
The plan is mainly designed for the provinces of Moxico, Lundas Norte and Lunda Sul regions with available land and favorable climatic conditions for the production of these cereals.
To make PLANAGRÃO a reality, public and private funds will be mobilized, with the State expected to invest 1.178 billion Kwanzas in infrastructure over five years, including the demarcation of two million hectares, allotments and access roads to the production areas.
In addition, 1.674 billion Kwanzas will be invested in the capitalization of the Angolan Development Bank, BDA, and the Angolan Active Venture Capital Fund, FACRA, to finance the national private sector, which is able to produce, logistically and process grains, and guarantee the entire value chain.
Commercial banks will also be able to mobilize funds through Notice 10 of the National Bank of Angola, which guarantees access to credit at more attractive interest rates for promoters of production projects.
The general objectives of PLANAGRÃO are "to guarantee the country's food security, generate income and promote competitiveness" in order to turn Angola into the largest grain producer in southern Africa in the medium term.
With this plan, the government says it is pursuing a number of specific objectives, including: stimulating cereal production; increasing the number of agricultural entrepreneurs and employment; attracting qualified young people to the activity and foreign direct investment from large international companies, which can bring know-how and technology to Angola and to promote the development of the domestic value chains, providing inclusive economic growth.
The Head of State concludes his two-day working visit to Bié province on Thursday afternoon. ALH/PLB/ART/TED/AMP
