The information is contained in the data on the import of products from the basic food basket in December 2020, presented this Monday at the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and released by the body.
According to the data, in December 2019, the government disbursed 250 million dollars for imports, while in the same month of 2020, spent 152 million dollars.
The comparative table highlights the reduction in sugar imports from 2.1 million tons in 2019 at a cost of 17.6 million dollars to 1472 tons at a cost of 831,121 dollars.
The import of current rice, from 136,985 tons, at a cost of 37.2 million dollars in 2019, rose in 2020 to 59,505 tons, at a cost of 10.5 million dollars.
About the amount disbursed for the import of current rice, the national director of Foreign Trade, Augusta Fortes, quoted in an informative note from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said it is justified, like the amount spent on the import of palm oil, because it serves as raw material for some industry, including brewing and condensed milk production.
In 2019, Angola imported 46,820 tons of palm oil for over 22 million dollars, while in 2020 264,863 tons were imported, worth 21.7 million dollars.
In relation to chicken, there was a reduction in 2020, compared to the same period last year, with imports in 2019 of 46,385 tons, for 51.5 million dollars, to 32,447 tons, for more than 25 million dollars.
Also cited in the note, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Victor Fernandes, stressed the considerable reduction in relation to the other products that make up the basic basket, compared to the same period in 2019.
Victor Fernandes considered that "the figures reflect the many opportunities that the market still offers for investment, especially in manufacturing".
For Victor Fernandes, there is still enough margin to invest in local production of cooking oil and palm oil, which can be taken advantage of by investors.
