Quoted in a statement from the Provincial Government of Benguela, to which Verangola had access, the person responsible - who was speaking as part of the presentation of the "result of experiments with upland rice in highlands, started on October 18, 2023", which took place on Dombe Grande, municipality of Baía Farta, province of Benguela, in a talk alluding to Terras Altas Rice Field Day -, also considered that rice "is today an extremely important food in the basic food basket to feed the Angolan populations".
The Secretary of State also said that for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry "this activity represents an important milestone, taking into account the results of a trial that is being carried out on a fundamental crop for the country, which is rice".
Furthermore, the person in charge also took the opportunity to reiterate the Executive's support for the production of this cereal in Angola, in order to contribute to reducing its import levels. Quoted by Angop, among other aspects, he mentioned that in relation to this support, technical assistance, reduction in the price of agricultural inputs and also financing stand out.
Also speaking on the occasion was Brazilian researcher Flávia Botelho, from Universidade Fideral de Lavras (UFLA), responsible for the trials. Quoted in the provincial government's statement, the person responsible highlighted that the "20 elite strains belonging to the experiment demonstrated surprising performances, considering the fact that they were developed in an environment different from Angolan conditions".
"However, with agronomic behavior equal to or greater than that observed in Brazil", she added.
The specialist also said that "the event served to demonstrate the full potential of highland rice cultivation in Angola, which introduced the way it is conducted and managed", and added that "the increase in food diversity, also combined with, another source of income option and above all food security and combating hunger are among other goals to be achieved", reads the statement.
On the occasion, she also recalled that the lines were sown on October 18 last year, and in December, 56 days old, "they already showed the first panicles, obtaining genotypes with a final cycle of less than 90 days", a fact that she considered relevant "for the incorporation of the aforementioned culture into the Angolan production system".
