Mozambique, Soliridad Southern Africa ink agric investment deal
The National Institute for Standardization and Quality (INNOQ) and the regional organization “Solidaridad Southern Africa” have begun to work together on the certification of agricultural products in Mozambique. In the project, Solidaridad will invest $700,000 in Mozambique.
An agreement between the sides was formalised in the Mozambican capital Maputo on Wednesday and it envisages that INNOQ will certify the products and Solidaridad will work on the training of market-oriented producers.
This is expected to make products more competitive at national and international level and to establish a quality standard for the industry value chain in order to safeguard public health.
Solidaridad Southern Africa manages programmes in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 218 million people live in extreme poverty, with the majority of the region’s populations living in rural areas and dependent on agriculture for
their livelihoods.
The majority of the Mozambican population practice agriculture, mainly as a means of subsistence and obtaining some income in local markets, without access to markets that demand certification, especially at an international level.
The project will ensure that farmers produce in a sustainable manner and respecting the requirements demanded in the national and international market.
The two sides also want to ensure that products have the necessary quality to access the preferential markets, ensuring that they are respected, inter alia, pesticide labeling, safety intervals and correct doses of fertilizers.
Solidaridad representative Francisco Nhanala said that this initiative is expected to make products more competitive at national and international level and to establish a quality standard for the industry value chain in order to safeguard public health.
