Just over 14 thousand US dollars will be invested in agrarian enterprises in Manica province, under the implementation of the project "Movement for the Development of Climate Change Resilient Productive Value Chains"..

This project, which will benefit more than 22,000 producers, was designed by the provincial Executive Council and is financed by the cooperation partners.

In total, 22,588 producers from 12 districts of Manica province, located mainly in semi-arid regions, are covered by the project, which will be implemented in two phases, the first from 2022-2024 and the second from 2025-2030.

The project's objective is to massify agricultural production in all districts of the province, focusing on the semi-arid districts, where multi-purpose irrigation systems will be set up to ensure production and productivity at all times of the year.

The project is scheduled to start next month and the launch ceremony will take place in the district of Manica. The implementation of the initiative will rely on the involvement of small and medium enterprises, academic institutions and the Mozambique Institute for Agrarian Research (IIAM).

The document referring to the "Movement for the Development of Productive Value Chains, Resilient to Climate Change" project was presented and approved in the second extraordinary session of the provincial Executive Council, which debated, among other issues, the state of play of the land policy.

According to the spokesperson for the session, Ernesto Lopes, who is also Manica's director of Agriculture and Fisheries, it is expected, with the implementation of the project, a large-scale production and productivity, looking at the level of producers involved.

Lopes said that the first chain will be of chicken and eggs, because Manica has the potential and conditions necessary for the implementation of this activity, followed by the one that has to do with the cultivation of soybeans and corn, which are indispensable raw materials for chick and fish farming, and finally the chain of vegetables and fish farming.

According to the source, the project will run simultaneously with Sustenta, which, since the last campaign, has been guaranteeing high levels of income to agricultural producers at various levels in the province and in the country, in general.

Lopes also said that during the implementation of the project, establishments such as tanks and cages will be built, whose expected production will be 958 tons of fish, in addition to rehabilitation of access roads, extension of the electricity grid, and construction of water sources.

Also, 43 extension workers will be hired during the project's execution, 20 young entrepreneurs, 24 women entrepreneurs, and 44 aquaculture value chain projects will be trained and funded.