Speaking this Thursday, at the opening of the 2023 harvest, the Secretary of State for Agriculture, João Cunha, highlighted that, after a decade of existence, the company nowadays generates large quantities of this product, which made it possible for Angola to reduce the import of sugar by 40 percent, as well as increasing its consumption in national terms, writes Angop.
According to the official, this increase in national production means that Angola saves a considerable amount of currency, which is being channeled to other purposes, according to a note from the provincial government of Malanje, which VerAngola had access to.
The Secretary of State also said that "the indicators of the future increase in sugar production and consequent reduction in imports, is the expected figure of 120,000 tons of sugar during the harvest today [Thursday] opened, which also represents a high index of investment and economic development that the country has been reaching", reads the note.
The official stressed that despite this, there is still much to be done to increase production in the various fields, which is why the Government has been drawing up various policies, highlighting the National Plan for the Promotion of Grain Production (Planagrão), writes to Angop.
Regarding this plan and others of the Government in the areas of sugar production, livestock and fisheries, the Secretary of State explained that these were designed to achieve food self-sufficiency in the medium and long term, as well as to generate conditions for the export of products and put an end to dependence on oil. "We have arable land, water, favorable climate and other necessary conditions to leverage the agro-industrial sector and walk in an incisive and decisive way in obtaining revenue for the State coffers without depending on oil exports", he said, cited by Angop.
The director general of Biocom, Uirá Ribeiro, quoted in the statement from the Malanje government – to which VerAngola had access – said that the farm is "in a challenging period of production, tending to reach an increase in its capacity, to meet the intentions of the Angolan State, as it is the only company in the country that produces sugar, ethanol, alcohol and clean energy from sugarcane".
The official also said that, along with this, it has also been contributing "with actions linked to the development of the sectors of education, sport, professional training and employment, within the scope of its social responsibilities, with emphasis on the population of the municipality of Cacuso" .
According to Angop, the company reached 110,000 tonnes in last year's harvest, corresponding to 10,000 tonnes less than the figure calculated for this year.
The referred harvesting campaign also signaled the celebrations of the company's tenth anniversary, marked this Thursday (April 27).
