INTERNATIONAL CASSAVA CONGRESS RECOMMENDS MORE INVESTMENT IN VALUE CHAIN

Malanje - The first International Cassava Congress held in northern Malanje province recommended Saturday more investments in the tuber value chain and promotion of public-private partnerships favorable to agribusiness centered on the inclusion of women and young people.

The two-day event, held between 24 and 25 this month, also recommended that producers and peasants increase their knowledge of techniques and the use of technologies in agriculture, with relevant impacts on the quantity and quality of cassava produced in the country.

The recommendations include the increase in the industrial production of cassava flour, using 100% national raw material, aimed at reducing the price of the product.

The event also recommended promotion of regulation of mandatory application of a minimum of 30% cassava flour in the production of bread and other pastry products.

The forum also urged the need to create and promote small cassava processing industries, using incubators and accelerators of investment in agribusiness, as a way of boosting and developing agriculture and valuing the tuber.

On the other hand, the participants at the Congress concluded that there is a need to create a fund to finance agriculture, grants of land to promote agriculture at affordable costs, expansion of Field Schools as a method for transmitting knowledge to rural producers.

It was also concluded that access to adequate markets for the sale of cassava and its derivatives with added value was necessary, as well as the creation of an institutional framework of permanent support services (incubators, accelerators, Business Development Services and others) to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Sponsored by Ministry of Industry and Commerce in partnership with the government of Malanje province, the first Congress was held under the motto “Leveraging the diversification of the economy based on the cassava value chain”.