RE SEARCH Mozambique can and must keep potato growing inside its own country POOR MOZAMBIQUE LIVES PREDOMINANTLY ON AGRICULTURE Mozambique is situated in the south-eastern part of Africa and borders on Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa. The country is twenty times the size of the Netherlands. In 1498, the country was ‘discovered’ by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama on his way to India. Since then, it was colonised by Portugal for its gold and ivory. The Portuguese suddenly where you see small entrepreneurs who peel, cut, fry and serve potatoes themselves and serve them with chicken, and that’s along the main road near the border with Malawi. The variety they’re using is mostly Violet. It would therefore also be possible for farmers in Mozambique who grow Rositas and Violets to transport them to the capital to have them processed in small processing units. From there, they could be transported to the restaurants and shops that need chips and crisps. A great deal goes to Malawi While Mozambique imports a great deal of potatoes, many of their own homegrown potatoes leave the country. From Biri-Biri, where Mozambique borders on Malawi, an unknown number of lorries leave every day with potatoes for Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. These potatoes are packaged in big 100 to 200 kilogram bags. The size of the market is unknown, but it’s estimated that Malawi eats a considerable share of the Mozambican production. If the country knew its own market better, it could left Mozambique in 1974, tired of all the opposition against them. After that, the country was rather unstable with the first elections only in 1994. It’s a poor country where 80 percent of the population lives on subsistence farming. However, recently, gigantic quantities of coal were found and also natural gas, by the coast, so future expectations look good. make its own production and food supply much more profitable. An enormous challenge, whereby collaboration with Dutch companies and Institutes is perhaps among the possibilities. Examples of such collaboration could be the trialling of varieties and increasing seedpotato production as already happens now on a very small scale. The Dutch could also initiate added value by establishing chains (washed and packaged potatoes for the supermarket, crisps and chips) and small processing operations. And also improving the use of resources, land, water, labour, and chemicals with the help of advisory services. It’s also even possible to use national and international donor funds and national financing flows. ● If they were to set up a local supply chain, the mines might be able to save considerably on food and transport costs. Market vendors sell the potatoes in heaps of 1 to 15 kilograms. The price is between 35 and 55 eurocents per kilogram, depending on variety, grade and quality. Increase in regional and world potato production during the past 40 years (Source: FAOstat). Year World total Zimbabwe Malawi South Africa Mozambique Tanzania, UR 298,047,998 240,464,081 22,000 20,441 86,182 617,000 40,000 1970 1980 1990 266,624,520 31,000 270,000 686,000 65,000 350,000 1,260,590 70,000 55,385 200,000 210,000 2000 327,349,600 32,000 2010 324,181,889 58,000 2,037,280 4,706,400 1,721,000 2,071,930 350,000 80,000 110,500 750,000 If the local potato trade wants to earn money with potatoes, they’d better focus on whiteskinned varieties with shallow eyes. Potato World 2014 • number 4 35 Pagina 74
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