The Minister of National Defense, Cristóvão Chume, launched the harvest of the 2023/2024 agricultural campaign of the Civic Service of Mozambique (SCM) this Friday, May 9, in Tsangano district, Tete province, with a call for productive efficiency and a contribution to food security.

During the event, the head of the National Defence department stressed the importance of maximizing the production of essential crops, not only for self-consumption, but also for marketing, in order to make the body financially self-sustainable and alleviate dependence on the state budget.

For the head of the National Defense portfolio, producing in an entrepreneurial way, with the aim of selling and making money, will be crucial to complementing the needs of the Mozambican Armed Defense Forces (FADM), in particular, and the Mozambican communities, in general.

Chume encouraged the young SCM providers to work closely with communities, sharing innovative farming techniques to improve productivity and strengthen the resilience of SCM and community farmers.

Another recommendation from the head of the Defense Sector was the efficient use of available water resources, such as rivers, lakes and ponds, to irrigate crops and minimize losses caused by drought resulting from climate change, as well as conservation agriculture practices, such as the use of crop residues and animal manure to enrich the soil and promote more sustainable practices.

The creation of laboratories for seed certification and soil analysis, an initiative that aims to guarantee the quality of seeds and help farmers better understand the needs of the soil, is another aspect that Cristóvão Chume wants to see introduced in the SCM.

Cristóvão Chume expressed optimism that the 2023/2024 agrarian campaign will contribute to Mozambique's food security, helping to fight hunger and promote social and economic stability in the country.
The Tsangano production unit alone, where the ceremony to officially launch the agricultural harvest took place, will harvest around 59 hectares of corn.
It should be noted that SCM is active throughout Portugal, focusing on agriculture and livestock, construction, mining and the provision of services, and has production units in Mocimboa da Praia, Unango, Namialo, Angónia, Tsangano, Gorongoza, Catandica, Chókwè and Moamba.