Luanda — Angolan Government this month released Usd 8 million for the Rural Development Programme (PDR) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aimed at starting its first actions, Angop learned Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists during the presentation of the PDR against poverty, the deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Filomena Delgado, said the amount has come from the State Budget and will be invested in the first coming months in economic, political and social development.

Filomena Delgado said that in this first year, until December, 10 provinces will benefit. They are the provinces of Huambo, Kwanza Sul, Benguela, Bié, Luanda, Uíge, Moxico, Malange, Zaire and Huíla, with the remainder regions of the country benefiting in the second year of the project that will start in January 2008.

The deputy minister explained that the programme strategy will be implemented at three levels. The first has to do with extensive support (intervention in family and business agriculture) designed to secure a better productivity.

The second is aimed at population settlement that is intended to reintegrate the rural communities in the mercantile circuits, and the third to integrated development, with a view to the promotion of quality of living of the communities.

The PDR against poverty that has been planned for two years, has an initial budget of Usd 150 million whose implementation started in January this year with the inventory of existing programmes and other sectors with the purpose of reducing poverty, drafting strategies and visits to ten provinces of the country.