Lubango — Angola's agricultural potential is instrumental in diversification of its economy, the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Francisco André said on Sunday in Lubango, Huíla province.

The Portuguese diplomat said so at the end of a meeting with the governor of Huíla, Nuno Mahapi, while visiting the southern region, aimed to evaluate the implementation of projects financed by the European Union, as well as the Strengthening of National Resilience and Food Security programme of Angola (FRESAN).

According to him, the meeting served to review the local challenges, as part of bilateral economic cooperation, as well as the way in which FRESAN can help boost the agriculture sector, through the training of family activity and preventing food shortages.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Portugal stressed that FRESAN "will produce good results" for the effective diversification of Angola's economy, mainly in terms of the implementation of Field Schools in several municipalities, which help modernize the systems of agricultural practice of small producers.

He said that most important is to produce more and ensure better profitability of their investments, improve assistance to peasant families.

He assured that Portugal will continue to technically support these changes, to ensure the successfulness of the project and the achievement of the much-awaited food security in the south region.

Francisco André highlighted the production of fodder (food for animals), underlining that 150 field schools are currently in operation (the goal is to reach 300), which so far are training 16,000 farmers.

In Huíla province, the Portuguese official visited Agricultural Field Schools, in the municipality of Humpata, 22 km from the capital of Huíla (Lubango) and held a meeting with the Portuguese community in the region.