Readout of the meeting between FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and Oligário Guilherme Banze, Vice Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Mozambique

28 July 2021, Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu today met with Oligário Guilherme Banze, Vice Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Mozambique.

 The Vice Minister shared with the Director-General the importance of the results of the Agricultural Census undertaken in 2020, in supporting decision-making, planning and the development of the agriculture sector in Mozambique. In this regard, he conveyed that both he and the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development looked forward to FAO’s continued support in updating the census databases. The Vice Minister also requested FAO’s support in capacity development for the countries extension services to guarantee that smallholder farmers, which currently amounted to approximately three million, receive the appropriate knowledge and support they require.

The Director-General assured the Vice Minister of FAO’s support in respect of data and noted that information is critical for agricultural digitalization, an area that the Organization is working on closely with key partners. In relation to extension services, he informed the Vice Minister that a digital approach is necessary to connect and transfer knowledge. Director-General noted that the creation of digital platforms could accelerate support to smallholder farmers. In addition to this, he underlined that connecting these farmers with the appropriate e-commerce tools would promote further transfers of knowledge and provide accessibility to markets.

The Vice Minister appreciated the Director-General’s guidance and also noted that FAO’s support for agri-food system transformation is key as the country plans to link their smallholder farmers to markets, improve productivity and value chains.