Africa-Press – Angola. Angola wants to reach, in the coming years, a production of 200 thousand tons of honey/year, against the current 23 thousand, produced by the country’s beekeeping cooperatives, said yesterday, in Luanda, the Secretary of State for international cooperation and Angolan communities, Domingos Custódio Vieira Lopes.
Domingos Lopes, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the Cocoa and Honey Fair, which takes place at the Palácio de Ferro, under the motto “The unknown treasures of Angola”, within the framework of the economic diplomacy programme, highlighted that the promotion of honey culture , is an activity that has been developed in a sustainable way among beekeepers, without major constraints to the natural and social environment for Angolan communities.
Without advancing cocoa production, the Secretary of State, Domingos Lopes, indicated that this product is of great economic importance for producing countries, as well as for consumers, as it constitutes an essential ingredient in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
He referred that as it is a product that provides export earnings and income for families, the Government of Angola will continue to guarantee support for the initiatives of producer families and entrepreneurs operating along the value chain of the two crops.
He added that the Executive’s support to the producing families and entrepreneurs in the sector will focus on the creation of a chocolate industry and quality certification, with the aim of positioning local products in the international market.
“We want to count on the support of our international partners, through their financing and know-how, for investments in the production of Cocoa and Honey. Our country has favorable conditions that allow it to develop the agricultural sector in the medium and long term. and achieve the much-desired diversification of the economy”, he said.
The official challenged national and foreign businessmen to invest in agricultural production, especially cocoa and honey, as it is an underexplored area. For the diplomatic corps, according to Domingos Lopes, Angola continues to rely on public and private partnerships to face the challenges of economic diversification.
On the occasion, the Secretary of State for Forests, André de Jesus Moda, pointed out that the Executive is committed to supporting cooperatives, associations and peasant families to leverage the process of promoting cocoa and honey crops in Angola. According to André Moda, Angola is open to cooperating with other countries in the world, in the fields of training and acquisition of technology to boost the Agricultural sector.
Cocoa Symposium
During the event, which was attended by the diplomatic corps accredited in Angola, a symposium was held on topics related to “Cocoa production in Angola”, “Relaunching the cocoa culture, the experience of Cabinda”, “Transforming industry in Angola” and “Honey production method in Angola”. Participating in the fair are 21 cocoa and honey producers from the provinces of Bengo, Cabinda, Kwanza Norte, Kwanza-Sul, Bié, Huambo, Moxico and Luanda.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
