The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), the largest employers' organization in the country, is calling for greater coordination between the public and private sectors to strengthen the agricultural sector.

According to the vice-president of the CTA, Gonçalves Correia, who was speaking this Thursday (09) in Maputo at the first meeting of the Agricultural Sector Coordination Committee, the national business community believes that Mozambique has everything it takes to have a strong and competitive agricultural and forestry sector "which could be the basis for sustainable economic growth for all and for reducing poverty in the country," said Correia.

The source highlighted the strategic importance of the sector for the Mozambican economy, saying that the meeting was taking place at a particularly important time for the country, as a new cycle of governance was beginning.

Correia pointed out the main challenges affecting the sector, including low agricultural productivity, the lack of funding and the need for reforms to the Land Law.

"Also noteworthy are the low agricultural productivity, the lack of economies of scale, the lack of funding, the lack of coordination between players, the difficulties in implementing structuring programs, a land law reform that allows foreign investment to be attracted and the lack of clear rules that protect our forests."

According to Correia, quoted by AIM"Overcoming these issues requires a reserved commitment and concerted action".

For his part, the FAO Mozambique representative, José Fernandes, stressed the importance of collaboration between the various players in the sector and the support of international partners.

"I would also like to thank the cooperation partners for their unconditional support, who have, since we began our mandate, shared in a very transparent way all the programs they have been implementing and are also planning to implement in the agricultural sector over the next five years at least," he concluded.

 

(Photo DR)