Maputo, Mozambique, 11 June – Mozambique’s prison population is to start producing food as a way of improving their diet and placing surplus production on the market, the Mozambican Justice MInister, Maria Benvinda Levi told Macauhub.

“We are going to start rice production on 80 hectares in Mabalane (Gaza province) and potatoes in Tinonganine (Maputo province),” the minister said adding that large scale production in Manica province and the districts of Angónia and Sanga, in the central northeastern province of Tete.

The initial area earmarked for production of maize is 100 hectares whilst the area for wheat is 30 hectares and will be located in Sussundenga district in the central province of Manica.

In Zambezia province, an area of 100 hectares has been set aside for maize production and another 100 hectares to plant pineapples, as well as peanut production in Nampula province.

The director of prison services, João Zandamela told Macauhub that with this programme the aim was to bring an end to the inactivity of prisoners, as Mozambique’s jails housed around 15,000 prisoners, including Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, Brazilians and other nationalities.

Zandamela said that there were also plans to plant around 105,000 cashews trees in a project supported by the National Cashew Institute (Incaju) and which is expected to provide income of US$4 million in cashew sales. (macauhub)