Luanda — A memorandum of understanding, valued at US$1 million, was signed on Monday in Luanda between the National Agency of Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG) and the Agrarian Development Support Fund (FADA), to promote access to credit and specialized technical assistance to agricultural producers across the country.
The document was signed by the presidents of the boards of directors of ANPG, Paulino Jerónimo, and FADA, Felisbela Francisco, in the presence of the Secretaries of State for Oil and Gas, José Barroso, and for Forests, João da Cunha.
Speaking at the event, José Barroso considered the agreement to be a unique opportunity, the implementation of the partnership between resources from the oil sector aimed at contributing to the promotion of family farming activity, promotion of agribusiness and integrated development.
'To this end, the sector has authorized the availability of a fund budgeted at USD 1,000,000 (one million US dollars) for the financing of projects that are approved based on the defined criteria,' he said.
He explained that fertilizer production projects are being implemented in the petrochemical industry, using natural gas and the abundance of mineral resources in the soil for the exploration of phosphates.
In terms of boosting the biofuels aspect, he added, the ANPG has been surveying the agricultural potential in several provinces of the country, with a view to guaranteeing raw material to feed the production of green energy, at a later stage.
In turn, the manager of the ANPG, Paulino Jerónimo, said that, with the signing of the document, guidelines for institutional cooperation between the parties in the field of agriculture are established.
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He said that the purpose is to contribute to the promotion of integrated projects, technical and professional partnerships.
'Our goal is, in a structured and organized way, to work with FADA to help the sector that is regulated by us to direct its investments to agricultural support,' he stressed.
The president of the Board of Directors of FADA, Felisbela Francisco, said that the memorandum will reinforce the funding of the Family Agriculture and Food Security Acceleration Program, also called 'Osi Yetu'.
'It is a clear manifestation of the Executive's commitment to the sustainability and economic diversification of the country,' he stressed, reiterating the operationalization, by FADA, of this program that includes 14 measures, of which the creation of the integrated management system for support for family farming stands out.
The memorandum is part of the social responsibility actions of the oil sector, with funds coming from Block 48, operated by Total Energies. HM/VC/DOJ
