FAO and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation sign a financing agreement for the Beira corridor
16 August 2023, Maputo- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) signed today in Maputo, a financing agreement for the implementation of the Integrated Agricultural Development Programme (ProDAI) in the Beira corridor.
The three years programme has a budget of 5 million euros, to reinforce the production and supply chain for the future Agri-food Center in Manica and thus strengthen the agro-industrial sector in the Beira Corridor.
The programme also aims at:
• Diversify production and sustainably increase the productivity of food and cash crops in agroforestry systems;
• Improve processing and aggregation, allowing farmers to capitalize on added value and a better marketing margin;
• Strengthen institutional coordination (public and private sectors) for the adoption of commercial production and sustainable production systems.
The Italian Ambassador to Mozambique, Mr. Gianni Bardini, emphasized that the agreement "marks a significant step towards a stronger, more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector".
On his turn, the FAO Representative in Mozambique, Mr. José Luis Fernandez, said that the "programme will reduce poverty and improve food and nutrition security through the transformation of diversified, innovative, efficient, inclusive and sustainable food systems in the central area of the country".
This programme is aligned with the priority of the United Nations Framework for Cooperation and the FAO Programme in Mozambique on Economic Diversification and Sustainable Livelihoods, aiming at inclusive economic empowerment through improved, diversified and climate-adapted production and productivity in agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture.
The intervention will also directly contribute to the Strategic Program for the Development of the Agrarian Sector and the respective National Investment Plan for the Agrarian Sector (PEDSA and PNISA) of the Government of Mozambique.