Maputo — Six silos with the capacity to store 50,000 tonnes of grain have been built on the outskirts of the western Mozambican city of Tete, as part of the country's efforts to minimize the effects of the world food crisis, according to Leonor Neves, the Tete Provincial Director of Agriculture.

A seventh silo, Neves said, will be built in Angonia district, the most fertile part of the province. The Angonia grain harvest is expected to be considerably higher this year than in 2008, thanks to the introduction of improved agricultural techniques.

Neves claimed that the silos "practically guarantee the marketing of all grain produced in Tete as from April 2009". Two large warehouses have also been built, and Neves believed that these storage facilities would be important in persuading producers and middlemen to sell grain inside Mozambique, rather than over the border in neighbouring Malawi.

Currently there is vigorous cross border trade with Mozambican maize, wheat, sorghum, potatoes and salt sold in Malawi, in exchange for bicycles, sugar and a variety of plastic items.

Neves also announced that a new grain processing plant will begin working by April in Matundo, on the outskirts of Tete city. "The factory is budgeted at around 15 million US dollars", she said. "It will start to operate no later than April, and will process grain purchased in various parts of the province. Initially, its attentions will be directed at satisfying the needs of the national market".

That means that in Tete "we have a guaranteed market for all grain produced in the province, as from this year's harvest", Neves stressed.