Farmers who are part of the "PROMOVE/Agribiz" program as seed multipliers, implemented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Fund (FAO), are waiting for their products to be certified.

The "PROMOVE/Agribiz" program includes nutrition, biodiversity, trade, energy and transport. The project is funded by the European Union (EU) to the tune of 90 million euros and is being implemented in the provinces of Nampula and Zambézia, in the north and center of the country.

This was seen during a monitoring visit by the program's technical team in the district of Mogovolas, in Nampula province, where farmers who multiply cereal, oilseed and vegetable seeds said they were impatient and asked for the certification process to be concluded as soon as possible.

Without this procedure, which is expected soon, those targeted say they are prevented from getting more and better out of their work, particularly with input sellers and other farmers.

This is the case of Calisto Assane, from the Angoche district, quoted by AIM, one of the 128 seed multipliers incorporated into "Promove/Agribiz" which, for the time being, includes 22,000 farmers.

"I'm looking forward to it, because without this certification, it's not possible to do business with the companies that sell quality seeds. I have an area of ten hectares, and I only use one of them to grow peanut, rice, sesame and vegetable seeds," he said.

Despite this setback, Assane said he was motivated because the tools he had acquired as part of the program had helped to improve productivity in the field, where he works with other members of his family.

Meanwhile, Dário Shipola, coordinator of "Promove/Agribiz" for the FAO, said that the project is progressing well in the provinces covered.

"The European Union is the main donor and has contributed between 80 and 90 million euros. 53 million is earmarked for the agricultural component. For business and trade, around 15 million and other amounts for monitoring. The project started in 2019 and is scheduled to end in August 2025," he explained.

Shipola noted that the main indicators that contribute to food security are being demonstrated, such as increasing productivity in a sustainable way, combined with production that also serves to sell on the markets.

"All the effort we're making to help small farmers, who number around 3.9 million across the country, is to help them move from subsistence farming to market farming. So, for us, the threshold for food security is very wide. We want to get above the poverty line, which we estimate at over 40,000 meticais a year," he said.

Among the main demands of farmers, according to Shipola, are access to quality seed and the search for modern agricultural technology, which makes them produce four times more.

"The lessons we've learned are something that farmers are asking for, quality seed. There are problems in the country because not enough is being produced. We're working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADER) to update the regulations. In this group of 22,000 farmers, we have 130 who produce seed and the certified seed is sold at better prices," he said.

Regarding the arrival of the El Nino phenomenon, without raising any alarms, Shipola acknowledged that it was a cause for concern for the central and southern zones and, for this reason, it was necessary to invest in infrastructure, storage and transport.

"There is a structural problem: agriculture develops when there is investment in infrastructure. So, in a climate like Mozambique's, we need serious investment in the irrigation system, storage, transportation and training for farmers," he said.