The government official stated that cotton is still essentially imported, but the commitment is, by 2027, for Angola to become self-sufficient in its production.
"(...) We are going to organize ourselves for a properly structured campaign and to create all the logistical conditions so that in 2025 we can start strong cotton production and by 2027 we will reach self-sufficiency", he stated.
The minister informed that although the company Textang II has a production of around ten percent of its installed capacity, the country has two other textile industries, namely Satec and África Têxtil, operating at the limit of their capacity.
With a view to boosting the textile industry, the sector will benefit from sovereign guarantees from the 2024 General State Budget (OGE) worth 330 billion kwanzas.
"As part of the preparation of the General State Budget for 2024, we also considered the issuance of sovereign guarantees in the amount of 330 billion kwanzas and this is one of the sectors that will also benefit from this facility", he assured.
The Executive will work continuously to stimulate national production, according to the Minister of State, having announced that the National Police and the Angolan Armed Forces, from 2024, will begin to wear uniforms made in the country.
"This is the exercise that the country must collectively do to create better living conditions for everyone. This is how we will be able to reduce unemployment, improve the income levels of our citizens and build well-being", he highlighted .
José de Lima Massano was pleased with the fact that, in the second quarter of this year, national products were sold more than imported ones, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
For his part, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the ALCAAL- Textang II Group, Jorge Amaral, also stated that the main objective is to establish self-sufficiency in cotton produced in Angola.
"We are already experimenting with cotton in Baixa do Cassanje, so we will immediately start planting and, gradually, build areas on a much larger scale to achieve this goal of 30,000 hectares", he highlighted.
In turn, the president of the Association of the Textile and Clothing Industry of Angola, Luís Contreiras, said that the meeting served to inform about the reality and list some possible solutions to leverage the sector until 2027, in order to generate more than 20 thousand jobs and reach 400 million pieces produced annually.
Luís Contreiras also said that in the coming months the association will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to launch cotton production in the country, in order to create the capacity to boost cotton production down to fabric.
The country has three factories dedicated to the production of cotton to fabric, in the provinces of Luanda, Cuanza Norte and Benguela, more than 500 micro-factories and more than 95 small, medium and large factories, with the capacity to meet the needs of professional uniforms.
