Africa-Press – Angola. With the favorable climate and soil of Dombe Grande, bean production has become a promising bet for the Nelson Rodrigues Agro-Livestock Farm (NR), which expects to harvest more than 200 tons, starting in August.
The option for large-scale production – of butter beans – is the result of a loan of more than 40 million kwanzas, granted, in 2022, by the Development Bank of Angola (BDA).
With a repayment period of two years, the BDA financing, as part of the Government’s support for national production, with priority given to agriculture, livestock and fisheries, was the “launching pad” for this agricultural property to achieve, in a short period of time, , a production of 120 hectares of beans, an attractive agribusiness.
But, in all, the Farm Agro-Pecuária NR totals an area of 180 hectares of arable land, spread over 80 ha, on the outskirts of the village of Dombe Grande, and another 100 ha, in the rural area of Granja, whose harvest is already approaching .
For everything that has been done, including the 20 million kwanzas invested in fertilizers alone, in addition to the modern drip irrigation system, occupying 50 hectares with 30 motor pumps, Nelson Mário Marques Rodrigues, 39, the owner of the farm, promises a good quality crop.
To reach 120 hectares of beans, for the first time, it spent 10 tons of seeds purchased on the informal market, equivalent to an average of 90 to 100 kilos for each hectare exploited.
In this way, the producer guarantees that, from the 15th of August, the 328 workers on the farm will start harvesting more than 200 tons of beans, which are widely consumed by Angolan families.
Drawn to the countryside at the age of 18, the now farmer highlights how BDA’s support helped him find the path to success towards high production, which will offset investments and generate profits.
Nelson Rodrigues reveals that the feat began on May 15, 2023, when the first bean plants were released into the ground. The project is running at over 80 percent, due to favorable weather conditions in Dombe Grande, on the one hand, and bank support, on the other.
“Thanks to funding from the BDA, we are managing to implement this project of 120 hectares of beans and so far everything is going well”, he reinforces.
In this context, he considers that agricultural production in Dombe Grande finds favorable climate and soil conditions, emphasizing that the water originating from the Coporolo river is like the “gold” that makes the fields shine and gives encouragement to the producers.
“Dombe Grande is one of the best lands in Angola. Its number one wealth is water. It’s our gold. The people are also workers”, recognizes Nelson Rodrigues, before defending more investments to transform this potential wealth generator, that is, fertile land and water.
On the other hand, the fact that he started with just one hectare, more than 20 years ago, and today has 180 hectares of arable land, makes Nelson Rodrigues dream bigger and perhaps reach 1,000 hectares in the future.
“Now, the next step is to increase equipment to make 200, 300 hectares on a large scale and then struggle with access to the Granja”, he says, optimistic.
And he confesses that the dream is to reach a thousand hectares of beans and corn, in the same way that, in his view, farmers do in Brazil, a country with an annual production of 6.5 million tons exportable to the international market.
After all, Fazenda NR never surpassed the mark of 50 hectares of culture, except now with the loan from Banco de Desenvolvimento de Angola.
Thus, he discovered in what is also considered commercial beans a kind of new “eldorado” and there he revolutionized his production in Dombe Grande.
Hence the pride of the young entrepreneur, who is determined to continue to diversify agricultural production and even aims to double the 120 hectares of beans by 2024 and thus continue to grow.
Hand in hand with the national industry, he reports that the farm had channeled, in 2021, through a partnership, a production of 50 hectares of tomatoes to a pulp processing factory in the Waku-Kungo region, in the province of Cuanza Sul .
Afterwards, another 30 hectares of onions were sent to the same factory, with the interviewee also pointing to a harvest corresponding to 50 hectares of yellow maize delivered to Grupo Industrial Carrinho, in March this year, in Benguela.
The BDA Boom _
With this support from the BDA, the first that the farm received since its legalization five years ago, Nelson Rodrigues significantly increased the production area and, therefore, the number of employees, from 180 to 328.
And the gains don’t stop there. Various agricultural equipment was purchased that is revolutionizing everyday life, helping to produce more and better.
At stake are, namely, two tractors of 100 hp each, with trailers and harrows, two sprayers, an opener (terrain marker), 30 motor pumps, a truck with the capacity to transport 15 tons and four Toyota Hilux vans in support .
“We stopped doing projects of 50 hectares and we are at around 120 hectares”, he stresses, believing that harvests of more than 200 tons of beans will compensate for the hard years of struggle on the company’s two farms, in Dombe Grande.
As a matter of fact, he said, this production index has always been the main goal of Fazenda Agro-Pecuária NR and, for the year 2024, the fight involves doubling the current area of bean cultivation.
Nelson Rodrigues wants to work harder and harder, in an attempt to encourage other farmers to seek the same financing and, in this way, increase production, generating more jobs and profits.
Despite the numbers in terms of direct jobs already created, in a total of 328 posts, he prefers to emphasize that the most important thing is to work to help Angola grow, without looking at the difficulties, mainly the dirt road that gives access to the countryside.
“Talking about access, looking at where we come from, is no longer a concern. Because 20 years ago we rode in a taxi and kupapata. Today, we have our own transport, ”she retorted.
“It wasn’t easy when I started working here at Dombe Grande. I am continuing my father’s work. It was 20 years ago, when my father switched from agriculture to salt pans”, he recalls.
In 2002, Nelson was just 18 years old. Therefore, little or nothing knew about agriculture. Rather, he was a curious and mere companion of the father to the field.
But, from the comings and goings of Dombe Grande, a passion for life in rural areas was born. And, today, aged 39, his eyes shine when he talks about the adventures in the field, and he even gets emotional.
Convinced that he has followed a difficult but rewarding path, the producer remembers having started with one hectare in the first year in the farm’s agricultural perimeter, however, the farm has grown and now has 180 hectares.
“As I gained capital, with the support of my father, I invested and started to go to 30, 40 hectares and the years went by”, he advances.
But with the “boom” of BDA credit, Nelson Rodrigues, half serious and half joking, stresses that the “bomb went off” in a positive way.
“It was the secret to making agriculture more organized, with more equipment and personnel”, he assumes, emphasizing that the BDA shortened the path, that is, what it could do in ten years it did – with the doors that opened, in just one year.
Otherwise, it would be more complicated, assumes the young man, while pointing to the more than 100 hectares with bean crops, unequivocal proof of the successful support of the Development Bank of Angola to yet another national producer.
And he continues: “I would be here in the field working 10, 20 or 30 hectares, but with that support, I tripled. I won’t stop anymore”.
Congolese among the main customers
Even with attention turned to the national market, especially Luanda, Dombe Grande beans are also satisfying the appetite of consumers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Last year, from Democratic Congo, customers came to Dombe Grande and the stopping point was Fazenda Agro-Pecuária NR, which sold half of the production of 50 hectares of beans to the Congolese, who transport the goods in chartered trucks towards the his country, crossing the Luvo border.
Although the idea is to continue selling to customers in the DRC, the truth, however, is that Nelson Rodrigues would like to negotiate with Grupo Carrinho, to buy all the beans, focusing on the domestic market.
After this bean production, in which 200 employees are involved, most of them women, the farmer will open his purse strings again and, with the remainder of the BDA loan, will invest in 30 ha of onions and 50 ha of tomatoes, and therefore predicts good yields in this unique year.
Nelson promises to contribute to the diversification of the economy and to be a partner of the Government in the creation of jobs, to combat poverty and provide well-being to families in rural areas.
“We are here to bring more food to Angolan tables and create more jobs”, he hopes.
Livestock gains strength
However, the NR Farm does not only live on bean production. Livestock, for example, although with a timid start in 2017, when there were only 50 head of beef cattle of different breeds, today constitutes another strong bet.
However, the business grew and, at the moment, there are 250 Nellore and Brahman cattle, in addition to 200 Dorper ewes, 80 Landrace pigs and 100 Red Calore and Bobet goats.
Nelson Rodrigues took advantage of the cattle auction, in the 2022 edition, of the Benguela International Fair (FIB), to acquire 50 head of cattle of imported breeds.
As with agriculture, Nelson Rodrigues has ambitious goals for livestock, adding that his dream is to reach 1,000 head of cattle by 2025.
To this end, he plans to use the BDA credit line again, to increase the number of animals and then open a butcher shop in the city of Benguela.
“We are already paying the credit for agriculture and we want to settle it in full as soon as possible to request the second financing for livestock”, he admits, referring that he already has the animals. All you have to do is open the hatch.
With this, the producer promises to create 500 direct jobs by 2024, among peasants, field managers, veterinarians, accountants and tractor drivers.
Farmer ‘s House
In view of the pests that have been plaguing, on a cyclical basis, the crops of agricultural producers in the Dombe Grande commune, such as the tuta that attacks tomato growth, Nelson Rodrigues invested, on the other hand, 80 million kwanzas in opening a store, known as “Casa do Agricultor”.
This is an innovative space, opened on June 15, 2022, in the center of the village of Dombe Grande, which has been offering peasants and farmers not only in Benguela, but also in the provinces of Huambo, Bié and Cuanza Sul a range of of agrochemical products.
Insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, fertilizers are part of the list of solutions provided by Casa do Agricultor, in addition to feed, vitamins and medicines to combat diseases that affect animal health.
According to the businessman, the venture also has available equipment such as sprayers, drip irrigation systems, motor pumps and normal and hybrid seeds.
NR farm guarantees support for families
Single mother of eight children, Emília Teresa, 38 years old, found, two years ago, in the agricultural perimeter of Fazenda NR, in the Granja area, a source of income, to escape the scourge of poverty.
With the salary she earns, Emília says she manages to support her family and is happy with the abundance of beans that are expected to be harvested until August.
Luciana Câmia, 45 years old, has been on the farm for 17 years and does not hide her joy in working in the fields, with the help of her hoe, and even boasts about the butter beans that will lift the farm and give opportunity to more young people.
ANGOP
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