Cabo Delgado Governor, H.E. Júlio Parruque, on Friday formally opened Casa do Agricultor (“the Farmer’s House”) in Pemba. The private business will deliver advice to farmers and growers and will sell agricultural inputs designed to boost productivity in the province.
It is the first of three stores to open across Cabo Delgado, with the support of Catalisa – an initiative of the Total-led Mozambique LNG Project. Catalisa provided a grant of $260,000 to support the opening of these stores.
On the occasion, the Governor of Cabo Delgado, Júlio Parruque, welcoming the Total led-Mozambique LNG project for its involvement in supporting the agriculture, said that “the inauguration of Casa do Agricultor is definitely one of the direct consequences of the large LNG project of the Rovuma Basin”. According to Julio Parruque, “The action taken by Casa do Agricultor fills a void in the value chain of the agricultural production at the level of Cabo Delgado Province. With the contribution of Casa do Agricultor, we expect to achieve, in our Province, a production of high standards of productivity and quality, which requires the availability of quality inputs, variety and proper technical assistance to our producers.”
Total’s representative Anita Ferguson said: “Through the Catalisa project, and in close coordination with government authorities, the private sector, communities and our implementing partner, TechnoServe, we are supporting the development of agriculture in Cabo Delgado, an important pillar for sustainable development of the province and the country in general.” “By supporting this initiative, we want to help improve access to goods and advice that will improve the productivity and livelihoods of small farmers in Cabo Delgado, accelerating the development of horticultural, chicken and egg value chains.”
Anita Ferguson says Catalisa is already producing positive results.
“For example, in addition to providing technical assistance to over 170 farmers, in its youth training component, Catalisa has graduated the first 165 of 1,000 young people in work readiness in Palma.
‘”Catalisa also supported the company Elaco Orrera, Lda to install last May a production unit which delivers 5,000 eggs a day in Pemba, the first of this magnitude in the whole Province of Cabo Delgado.”
“This week Catalisa also reached an agreement with Novos Horizontes which will see a new breed of chicken introduced into the local market.”
Rui Brandão, Executive Director of Casa do Agricultor, stated that “the concept of Casa do Agricultor is a one-stop shop for agriculture and livestock. We offer a wide range of products, trying to be a complete solution for the farmers, regardless of their size. The agrobusiness community in the region will apply wholesale prices and very soon we will make deliveries so that they can focus on their customers and not wasting time travelling to stock up.” Rui Brandão also acknowledged the role of Catalisa Project in opening the store, stating that “given that the inputs market is still very small, it is not a very attractive business and without the support of the Total funded Catalisa project, Casa do Agricultor probably wouldn’t be here so soon.”
Catalisa is a five-year project budgeted at about US $ 10.5 million to support agribusiness development in Cabo Delgado and youth training in Palma. The agribusiness component will increase investment, income generation and local employment, as well as stimulate the creation and growth of self-sustainable agribusiness. The training component will prepare young people for their own job and business opportunities in response to the opportunities that are emerging with the development of the Rovuma basin gas projects.
About Total
Total is a major energy player that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major.
About Total in Mozambique
Present in Mozambique for nearly 30 years, Total Moçambique is a major player in the downstream petroleum products market – gas stations network, industrial and mining customers, lubricants and logistics. Total has an estimated market share of 14%.
About Mozambique LNG
The Mozambique LNG project is on track to be the country’s first onshore LNG development, initially consisting of two trains with a total nameplate capacity of 12.88 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
Source: Total / Mozambique LNG – Press Release via Club of Mozambique
