“We should not think about promoting agriculture by distributing machetes and hoes”, argues the secretary of the mining sector in Cabinda.

The provincial secretary of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of the province of Cabinda, Henrique Bitebe, said this Monday, during the IV Meeting of the Consultative Council, that the government should not think about sustainable agriculture, when it still continues to distribute machetes and hoes ”.

When analyzing the fourth National Development Plan (PDN) 2023-2027, Kieto Economia found out from the representative of the country's northernmost province that the authorities must, firstly, look at who does agriculture and analyze the state of the agricultural sector from the country.

“We cannot wait to carry out sustainable agriculture, when we still continue to distribute machetes and hoes” we must, he highlighted, “make financial resources available, train human capital” in other words, create urgent mechanisms to meet population demand.

Along these lines, Henrique Bitebe also said he felt a void in the integration of the other provinces into the PDN, as these, in a certain way, are potential for the flow of trade.

“The province of Cabinda, for example, is between the two Congos, it is a corridor of the lower Congo and, which is important for the national industry as a result of the diversification of the economy.

For his part, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rui Miguêns, recognizes that the Executive needs to mechanize the support industry for the primary sector with the creation of necessary resources, namely, the production of agricultural means and equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides and other inputs that will add value and promote family farming.

There are several challenges associated with the commercialization of rural production, given the disconnection between production and consumption areas, mostly concentrated in coastal regions and also in the capital cities of other provinces.

On the occasion, the governor of the province of Luanda, Manuel Homem said that the capital city represents the largest contribution to GDP at national level. For this reason “he appeals to the Industry and Commerce sector council to continue paying greater attention to the country's capital, taking into account its impact on the growth of the national economy” he appealed.

He also added that the diversification of the economy in Luanda, particularly, must focus on training to formalize economic agents that lack government support to guarantee their affirmation in the market, as institutions.

Therefore, “this council should allow the identification of necessary conditions to facilitate small businesses, such as canteens, to diversify their business portfolio and services provided to the population” highlighted the governor of Luanda.

The IV Extended Consultative Council event took place yesterday in Luanda, at the premises of the Ministry of Mining Resources, Oil and Gas (MIREMPET) under the motto “Development of Industry and Commerce, Critical Success Factor for Economic Diversification and Food Self-sufficiency” aimed at the presentation and analysis of the National Development Plan (PDN) 2024-2027, with the aim of making the national manufacturing industry more robust and diversified.