Nacala Logistics is supporting the communities along the corridor, through the supply of quality inputs, allocation of agricultural tools, technical assistance, training in agribusiness and linkages to markets, with the aim of ensuring food and nutritional security in the region.

In the 2021/22 agricultural campaign, more than seven thousand families assisted by Nacala Logistics in Mozambique will now benefit from training in the production and use of organic fertilizers and pesticides for better crop results.

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides, in addition to damaging the soil, are expensive for the farmer. In a context where the market tends to demand more and more products of organic origin and considering the gains of a more natural production, Nacala Logistics increasingly invests in training where the farmers assisted learn sustainable production techniques that present better results, said the Community Relationship Manager, Celso Mutadiua.

"Each soil and crop has a specific need. In the training courses we have given, farmers learn to identify the type of nutrients that plants need (e.g. potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen), the pests that afflict them, and based on this knowledge they prepare the fertilizer and/or pesticide to be applied to help the growth of crops and fight pests," said Mutadiua.

Ligorio Rocha, leader and producer of the Mpape community, Rapale district, Nampula province, said he was very satisfied with the new techniques learned from the Nacala Logistics extensionists.

"It is thanks to the training we are having, that we now know how to produce our own fertilizer and medicine to fight pests. The plants we use can be easily found in our houses and fields, and we save money and time by going to the city to buy chemical medicine," he said.

We saved money and through this we were able to invest in other things. With the support of Nacala Logistics, today I am not only a producer, I am proud to say that I also raise goats," she said. "With the sale of sesame, peanuts, I was able to buy a couple of animals and started my breeding. My bet is on peanuts that so far promise good results," said Luciana.

The bio-pesticide taught to the Mpape community is made from papaya leaves, margosa, soap and water, products that are easily accessible to the entire community. In just 24 hours of preparation, the composition is ready for use! Likewise, the organic fertilizer is composed of accessible matter such as bovine, porcine, goat, and chicken excrement, cabbage scraps, cabbage, ash, and water.

This composition is ready in 3 months. The Mapape producers are already waiting for the right point to use it in the production of vegetables, which is already in season. In addition to agriculture, Nacala Logistics also supports the production of broiler chickens, fishing, drilling of potable water holes, and training of local labor, among other areas.

With the investment in social projects in different sectors, Nacala intends to boost the local economy, thus improving the living conditions of the communities living near the perimeter of the rail-port operations.