Celebrating products made from Mozambican fruits at the workshop

The first Workshop on Native Fruits in Mozambique ended on Thursday (10.09.) after two days of activities. The workshop was organized in partnership between the Institute of Agricultural Research of Mozambique (IIAM), the Tropical Research Institute (IICT) and the Southern Mozambique Fruit Growers Association (FRUTISUL).

Under the motto "Valuing what is ours through science and technology", this workshop was open to all those interested in native Mozambican fruits and their value chains. Attendants included representatives from the government, academia and research, civil society, fruit growers and farmer associations as well as the private sector.

Research on native fruits in Mozambique is still incipient. "Such research requires special attention, as do the production of native fruits domestically and the development of their value chains", the Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Castro Camarada, said during the event, "as almost 70 percent of the Mozambican population live in rural areas and almost 80 percent depend on natural resources, such as fruits and plants, which they use for cooking and traditional medicine". Luís F. Goulão, a speaker at the workshop, reiterated the importance of research in this area, commenting "there is huge potential for native fruits in Mozambique. Some of this is in the collective knowledge of the community, but some is not yet widely known."

The objective of the workshop was to create a multi-sectoral dialogue for the implementation of programmes on the promotion of integrated consumption, growth and use of native fruit species. The General Director of IIAM, Inácio Maposse called it "an excellent space to share knowledge about the native fruits of Mozambique", expressing the hope that "more value will be given to this thematic area after this workshop". The Vice Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Luísa Caetano Meque, agreed, commenting that a greater inclusion of native fruits in the diet of the population will help fight malnutrition and improve people's overall health.

As well as presenting the central role played by native fruit trees such as the baobab in food security and nutrition, the participants also discussed business opportunities in the production, conservation and processing of local fruits.