Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of State for Economic Coordination linked the rehabilitation of the textile industries with the revitalization of cotton production, when leading, yesterday, an act of handing over 50 plots of land to an equal number of producers in the Irrigated Perimeter of Quipela, on the outskirts of Sumbe, Cuanza-Sul.
In the project, in the initial phase implemented over 50 hectares of the commune of Gangula, the Government cedes land and provides, in addition to other means, infrastructure for irrigation to fifty peasants who associate the production of cotton with the production of by-products such as cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruit trees.
Manuel Nunes Júnior indicated, when addressing the beneficiaries, that the project constitutes a bet by the Executive in solving the multiplicity of questions that arise for the economic growth of Angola, where cotton production was introduced in the 16th century, giving rise to a harvest of 86 thousand tons which, in 1973, placed it among the main producers in the world.
“The start-up of the Irrigated Perimeter of Quipela confirms the Executive’s call on the importance of changing the economic structure of the country, which is still dependent on hydrocarbons”, declared the ministry to illustrate the Government’s expectations.
Manuel Nunes Júnior inserts the project in the economic measures taken by the Executive to leverage growth, after the country has faced a period of recession, a recovery process in which the State intends to change the economic structure of the country through the Privatization Program and reuse of paralyzed infrastructure, with emphasis on textile factories and others, which are currently at the service of the population.
Multiplier effects
The rehabilitation of textile industries and the revitalization of cotton production are two interconnected components, since with the raw material available in the country, sustainable production will be ensured.
“With the textile industries operating efficiently, it will be possible to reduce, in the near future, the import of clothing into the country, reducing the pressure on our currencies and improving the country’s economic balance”, predicts the minister, pointing out, as another gain, the generation of jobs, especially for young people in rural areas.
He highlighted that the valorization of cotton by-products, for the production of edible oil and animal feed for the national market, constitutes the other focus of the Quipela project.
To this end, it guaranteed the continuity of the growth and development trajectory for the coming years. “We have to pursue actions of this nature, which increase our productive capacity and will make our economy stronger, more diversified, efficient and dynamic”, he concluded.
According to information on the same occasion provided by the governor of Cuanza-Sul, Job Capapinha, the project for the Irrigated Perimeter of Quipela took 13 years to be implemented.
“The start of the Irrigated Perimeter of Quipela, which began in 2006, with the first phase completed in 2009, but only 13 years later can we say that the sacrifice was worth it”, he said.
The project is designed to cover an area of five thousand hectares, with 2,800 already available with an irrigation system, providing uninterrupted production of the recommended products.
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