In the period in question, Benguela produced a total of 442,420 tons of various products, within the scope of the 2021/2022 agricultural season. Thus, compared to the last harvest, this number represents an increase in the order of 67,420 tons.
The information was provided by Gabriel Martinho, head of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Forestry.
Speaking to Angop, Gabriel Martinho referred that the forecasts indicated, for between September 2021 and July this year, a production of 375 thousand tons, which ended up being exceeded.
Regarding production during the 2021/2022 agricultural year, the official highlighted the cultivation of 184,406 tons of vegetables, as well as corn with 134,500 tons, pineapple with 37,700 tons and sweet potatoes with 26,912 tons.
Beans, bananas and massambala were also produced with 17 thousand tons, 10,690 tons and 8316 tons, respectively.
Also noteworthy is the production of 3,341 tons of peanuts, 10,000 tons of cassava, 7,282 tons of reindeer potatoes, 360 tons of mango, 36 tons of passion fruit and 120 tons of papaya, writes Angop.
Among the reasons that justify this increase is the frequent occurrence of rain in the area. Cited by Angop, the official explained that agriculture in the province is partly subject to rain, as it is a dry place, stressing that the 2021/2022 agricultural season has benefited from this requirement.
He also indicated as justifications for the good results the help provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Provincial Government of Benguela with the distribution of 1,520 tons of fertilizers to around 219,000 peasants.
Cited by Angop, he considered that the 1,520 tons of fertilizers – of which 900 were NPK 12-24-12 compound fertilizer, 500 of ammonium sulfate and 120 of urea – are still scarce because, for him, in each agricultural season the province would need of about 100 thousand tons of NPK 12-24-12 compound fertilizer alone.
He recognized that they are far from the parameters of modern agriculture, which, for example, uses 400 kilos of fertilizers per hectare. "The family sector uses not even half of this amount per hectare", he added, quoted by Angop.
256,385 hectares were cultivated, informed the official. He also added that good results were recorded for the year 2020/2021, which he classified as "a disaster" for farmers in the province.
