Ten Chinese technicians are due to arrive in Mozambique “soon” to support the country in its efforts to improve the yields of a variety of crops, said Venâncio Massingue, Mozambique’s Minister for Science and Technology, cited by radio station Rádio Moçambique.

The Chinese technicians will work with a group of young Mozambicans for three years at the Umbeluzi Centre for Agricultural Research and Technology, in the Boane district, 30 kilometres to the south of Maputo, and which was built with aid from China.

The Minister said he believed that once that period ended the Chinese technicians would have transferred a lot of their knowledge to the young Mozambican technicians, which would make it possible to “increase current levels of productivity.”

He also noted that work would focus on improving seeds to improve their germination.

Yields per hectare of a number of crops including rice, wheat, and beans, are “very low” according to Massingue and the Mozambican authorities want to establish partnerships to change that situation.

Rice and maize production, for example, according to Massingue, is not more than 3 tons per hectare, and the Mozambican authorities aim to increase that yield to 9 to 10 tons per hectare.

The Chinese technicians’ stay will be funded by US$2 million provided by china as part of the third phase of development of the Umbeluzi-based Mozambican Centre for Technology Transfer.

clubofmozambique.com