Maputo — The Mozambican government is considering the possibility of introducing an agricultural insurance policy in the country.

This was the main theme of a seminar organized in Maputo on Friday by the Mozambique Cotton Institute (IAM) with the technical support of the World Bank and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The meeting brought together both national and foreign experts, who discussed the best ways to approach and implement this initiative, using cotton as a test crop.

The meeting also harmonized common procedures on agricultural risk management in Mozambique in relation to a number of ongoing initiatives. It also agreed on an action plan and timeline for the implementation of agricultural insurance in Mozambique.

Participants of the meeting also discussed potential benefits, shared experiences on crop insurance and the possibility to include the family sector.

At the international level the participants addressed the issue of weather insurance and discussed prices of cotton, monitoring of policies for food and agriculture in Africa, with Mozambique as a case study.

The legal environment for the development of agricultural insurance in Mozambique was also discussed, along with historical weather data, which is the basis for agricultural risk management.