Calumbo: Angola has successfully harvested 3.6 million tons of maize during the 2024-2025 agricultural campaign, as announced by Jos© de Lima Massano, the Minister of State for Economic Coordination. The announcement was made during a working meeting with maize producers and processors in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Icolo e Bengo province.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the minister acknowledged the growth in maize production, although he did not provide comparative data from the previous agricultural campaign. Despite the growth, Angola imported 350,000 tons of maize at a cost of 123 million dollars. This underscores the ongoing need for dialogue with various operators to address obstacles in cereal availability, ensuring maize production meets both human and animal consumption demands.
Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 campaign, the minister noted the presence of more operators and expanded cultivated areas, predicting continued growth. However, natural phenomena have presented challenges to achieving this goal. To counter these challenges, the minister called for collaboration with entrepreneurs supporting irrigation systems to boost productivity despite limited rainfall.
The minister emphasized the necessity for Angola to authorize corn imports to sustain the productive cycle, acknowledging the less favorable feedback from producers due to corn availability. The government remains committed to engaging in ongoing dialogue with economic operators to understand their challenges and identify opportunities, aiming to collaboratively achieve their objectives.
Jos© de Lima Massano highlighted the importance of open dialogue with entrepreneurs and associations, stressing that the primary sector is crucial in ensuring corn availability. The government's commitment to collaboration with stakeholders aims to address challenges and foster growth in maize production.
