Cachiungo: Producer Américo Manuel anticipates harvesting 90 tonnes of reindeer potatoes from a 10-hectare farmland in the municipality of Cachiungo, Huambo province. Manuel, who is managing 60 hectares in total, has allocated 30 hectares for maize, 20 for peanuts, and 10 for reindeer potatoes, providing temporary employment to 200 residents of nearby villages.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the farmer has urged the Huambo provincial government to offer more incentives to local farmers in Cachiungo. This support aims to expand cultivation areas and reduce the prices of basic food items. The municipality boasts a considerable water potential conducive to cultivating crops like maize, beans, peas, reindeer potatoes, sweet potatoes, and vegetables, which are essential for ensuring food security. Manuel emphasized the importance of making fertilizers and improved seeds more accessible to farmers.
In the ongoing 2024/2025 agricultural season, approximately 20,000 farming families in Cachiungo are engaged
in agricultural activities through cooperatives and associations. These families benefit from purchasing fertilizers at subsidized rates of KZ 10,000 per 50-kilogram bag, a significant reduction from the KZ 40,000 price on the informal market.
Cachiungo municipality, spanning 2,947 square kilometers, has an estimated population of 169,123 residents distributed across the communes of Chinhama, Chiumbo, and Sede.