Africa-Press – Angola. Two hundred and twenty-five tons of onions began to be harvested in the last week of December 2023, at the Indu-Agri farm, located in the commune of Dombe Grande, municipality of Baía Farta, province of Benguela, the news agency learned this Thursday.
According to the managing partner of the aforementioned farm, António Noé, they also began to harvest 84 tons of corn, crops produced on a total of 21 hectares and which mark the end of the 2022/2023 agricultural year on that surface.
António Noé announced that the aforementioned products will be destined for the Benguela and Lobito markets, considered the largest consumers in the province.
The businessman reported that corn is being sold at a value of 300 kwanzas per kilo, while a bag of onions (20 kg) is worth 30 thousand kwanzas, respectively.
He said, on the other hand, that three million kwanzas were invested per hectare, the results of which are in line with what was projected.
The farmer mentioned that he works with his own capital, which makes his situation delicate, due to the risks and bureaucracy found in the bank.
In the same vein, he highlighted that he never benefited from support from the Agriculture sector, as happens in other areas.
Asked about bank financing, the businessman assured that he had already requested financing from the Development Bank of Angola (BDA) several times, but was never successful.
António Noé informed that he needs financing of 500 million kwanzas to invest in 50 hectares.
According to the businessman, this amount will allow the purchase of equipment such as tractors, vans to support the flow of products, motor pumps, irrigation systems, greenhouses, seedbeds, threshing machines, among other agricultural resources.
“The slowness recorded in banking discourages agricultural production. Farmers are often forced to turn to private individuals or foreign citizens, especially democratic Congolese, who serve as an alternative in providing credit to producers,” he lamented.
Another issue that he hopes to see improved is the price of fertilizers and other agricultural inputs, which he still considers to be quite expensive, a situation that is reflected in the final prices of the products.
Electricity will stimulate production
The possible interconnection of the Dombe Grande commune to the national electrical system will stimulate an increase in agricultural production, as production costs will be reduced, argued António Noé.
“I spend an average of 20 thousand liters of fuel per year, mostly diesel, but also gasoline, to be able to start the entire process of collecting water from the Coporolo river (4.5 km), storage, irrigation, as well as other areas of the farm. At the current price of fuel, it has been quite expensive”, he said.
With the arrival of energy to the commune, not only the producers but, fundamentally, the more than 20 thousand inhabitants of Dombe Grande, will have numerous benefits.
“If this possibility comes to fruition, he advocated, Dombe-Grande will be the largest agro-industrial hub in the province of Benguela, looking at the experience and technology that is being used by producers”, he emphasized.
The businessman said he believes, with the energy situation resolved, in reducing the prices of rural products.
Along the same lines, it is the opinion that the Dombe Grande tomato processing factory will be more viable and accessible to local producers, with energy from the public grid.
The Indu-Agri farm, with an area of 50 hectares, has 170 workers, both direct and casual. During the 2022/23 agricultural year, around two thousand and 500 tons of various products were harvested, with emphasis on 1,200 tons of tomatoes and the same number of onions, respectively.
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