Speaking at the opening of a workshop on the usefulness of agrominerals, the holder of the Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas portfolio said that the goal of the sector he directs "is to contribute to self-sufficiency in fertilizers" in the country.
"We believe that our country has all the conditions so that, in the medium and long term, we can stop importing fertilizers. After, in the last mandate, we held some workshops on agrominerals, we intend, with this one, to move to a new phase. Not only to present the potential, which exists in occurrences in resources and reserves of agrominerals, but, to present projects that the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas has been promoting for the production of fertilizers in Angola", he said, quoted in a statement from the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, which VerAngola had access to.
The holder of the Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas portfolio also made it known that the sector "embraced the private project OPAIA" aimed at the production of ammonia and urea, seen as "very important" elements for fertilizers, having also created "conditions for the supply of gas in this project", adds the statement.
In addition, he also left an incentive for the company to "participate in phosphate mining", having, for the purpose, stated "that a phosphate concession is already being prepared".
Diamantino Azevedo said that Angola "already has limestone industries, mixing industries and others may arise".
"We want to go further. All the ingredients are present. Now we need to execute and be able, in a few years, with pride, to say that the country stops importing fertilizers", he said, quoted in the guardianship note.
Regarding the partnership with Brazil, the official said that it is intended to strengthen it in the field of fertilizer production. "We will only benefit from a closer cooperation with Brazil, to learn from its experience and be able to make our way", he said, cited by Angop.
He also referred that Brazil, assuming itself as an agricultural power, has traced its path, made some mistakes and has been improving, and Angola has many similarities and affinities with the South American country, being able to take advantage of the collaboration, writes Angop.
José Carlos Polidoro, a researcher at the Brazilian company Embrapa, considered that there is a need to bring knowledge about the relevance of agrominerals, as well as their use by farmers, and even their arrival in the fields of the interior of the country, such as in Brazil, writes Angop. He also took the opportunity to highlight, cited by Angop, that the effective use of fertilizers will significantly increase agricultural productivity, responding to various social and economic problems that the country faces.
The workshop, which took place this Tuesday (August 8) under the motto "Agrominerals: The path to Agricultural Sustainability", was held by the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the Albina Assis Auditorium.
According to another note from the ministry, to which VerAngola had access, at the event "an information panel was presented on the national cartography of agrominerals", and "in a round table, the regulatory framework in Angola and issues of training to support the sustainable development of the agromineral production chain, financing, investment and the business environment".
The event, according to the note, was attended by "entities from the mining and oil, agriculture and forestry sectors, representatives of companies operating in these sectors and academics".
