Nyusi calls for more agricultural production to generate more income
Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, has called for a move towards mechanized farming to generate greater income for households.
To boost agricultural production farmers must move away from reliance on short-handled hoes and embrace mechanization.
Nyusi expressed this view on Thursday, in Macate district, in the central province of Manica, during the launch of an agricultural mechanization course at the Marera Agrarian Institute.
“Embrace this area and work to increase agricultural production and household incomes”, he urged. “We want to migrate from short-handled hoes to mechanized farming. This is the only way to fight the poverty and hunger that still affect our communities”.
According to Nyusi, the Marera Agrarian Institute will receive trainees from the Chigodore Institute, the Chimoio Agrarian Institute (IAC), both in Manica province and the Caia Agrarian Mid-level Institute, in the neighbouring province of Sofala.
In its first phase, the Institute will teach three courses, namely agriculture, agrarian extension and carpentry.
The courses will benefit trainers from four institutes in the provinces of Manica and Sofala. Other long and short courses will be taught in the future.
The short courses cover beekeeping, poultry, carpentry, construction, and needlework, as well as food processing.
The Marera Agrarian Institute is dedicated to the training of mid-level technicians in agriculture and associated areas. It has a laboratory with modern equipment, classrooms, dormitories, offices for administrative services, and a water supply system, among other facilities.
“Our producers expect a lot from you. They want to learn how to produce more and get out of poverty. We, as a government, will continue to redouble our efforts to provide more means and bet on mechanized agriculture to increase production”, Nyusi said.
The President also urged the trainees to demonstrate greater commitment and dedication so that the knowledge acquired is replicated in the communities.
This educational establishment has been operating since 2016, when it was upgraded to the status of an Agrarian Institute. It had previously operated as the Marera Agrarian School. The rehabilitation and equipping of the infrastructure is the result of the intervention of the Mozambican government and partners such as the German development bank, KFW.
Since 2016, the institute has graduated 151 graduates in various specialisms. It currently houses more than 200 trainees.
