Mozambique's grain harvest in 2006 will reach about 2.1 million tons, registering an increase of 10 percent over the 2005 figure, predicted the country's Agriculture Minister on Monday.

According to a report reaching Luanda from Maputo, Mozambique's capital, the country's Agriculture Minister Tomas Mandlate said that the maize harvest alone will be about 1.5 million tons, a growth of 11 percent, during the opening ceremony of a National Meeting of Agricultural Services held in Namaacha, on the border with Swaziland.

This means that Mozambique this year is theoretically self- sufficient in maize, since total domestic consumption is estimated at 1.4 million tons.

However, most of the maize production is in the fertile northern provinces, and transporting grain surpluses from the north to food deficit areas in the south is expensive.

Last year's grain production was much lower than hoped because of the impact of drought over large areas of southern and central Mozambique. The return of normal rains in the 2005-2006 growing season is also reflected in the production of vegetables and cassava, up by 9.6 and 13.8 percent respectively.

Turning to livestock, Mandlate said that restocking over the last decade was now showing results in terms of increased meat production. Total meat production in 2005 was 12 percent higher than in 2004.

This has allowed Mozambique to cut its imports of beef, which were 22 percent lower in 2005 than in the previous year.

Mandlate recognized that despite this progress there are still severe obstacles hindering growth in agricultural production and productivity. These include vulnerability to pests and plant diseases, low use of modern inputs such as improved seeds, and insufficient use of irrigation and animal traction.

Source: Xinhua