afrol News, 15 November - The agricultural season is kicking off in Angola, this year with substantial government investments into the sector. Provincial governments are also providing seeds and farming tools. Also the cash crops agricultural sector is seeing new investments, in particular in coffee cultivation.

According to the government Agência Nacional para o Investimento Privado (ANIP), central and local authorities, along with private investors, are financing the recovery of Angola's war-ravaged agricultural sector. This year, substantial investments are made in agriculture all over Angola.

The provincial government of Benguela in south-western Angola is reported invest US$ 2 million to purchase seed s and farming tools for the 2004/2005 growing season, which began last month with the tilling of land for planting, ANIP says.

Benguela's Provincial Governor Dumilde Rangel said the province would purchase 300 tons of corn seed, 100 tons of beans and 60 tons of sorghum (massambala), as well as 60,000 farm implements, including hoes and ploughs.

In addition, the provincial agricultural programme was also to distribute 600 pairs of oxen to the 20,000 families participating in the programme, according to ANIP. "Each family will also receive 25 kilograms of corn seed and 5 kilograms each of beans and sorghum," the government agency added.

In neighbouring Huila province, the Ministry of Agriculture and the provincial government joined forces to invest more than US$ 2.3 million to purchase tools, seeds and fertilizers for the new growing season. Some 600,000 hectares of land should be available for planting this season. Huila lies south of Benguela, close to the Namibian border.

- The government hopes that the investment in agricultural inputs will produce harvests of more than 350,000 tons of cereals, fruits and vegetables, providing there is normal rainfall, ANIP reports, referring to Huila authorities.

The government of Huila province is to provide associations of small and large agricultural producers with powerful tractors, ploughs, hoes, machetes and 700 heads of cattle as well as 300 tons of imported corn seed, 120 tons of sorghum, 46 tons of beans and 400 tons of fertilizers.

In Huambo Province, north-east of Benguela, authorities are hoping to revitalise the coffee production, planning to extend it throughout the province. The Angolan National Coffee Institute (INCA) in Huambo province had announced that it would expand the cultivation of Arabica coffee in greenhouses throughout Huambo province, providing that the organisation obtains adequate fertilizer.

The municipality of Huambo is the main source of the Arabica coffee plants that INCA is distributing to Londuimbali, Bailundo, Mundo and Kachiungo municipalities in the same province to promote Arabica cultivation throughout central highland province. INCA needs 55 tons of fertilizer to begin the cultivation of Arabica coffee in these municipal greenhouses, ANIP reports from Huambo.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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