The first agri-industrial complex for drying and storing maize in Huíla province was inaugurated Wednesday in Matala by Angola’s Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fishing, Afonso Pedro Canga.

The project, which was awarded to Incatema Consulting, a Spanish consultancy and engineering company, cost 6.6 million euros and includes a drying unit and three maize storage silos with a total capacity of 12,000 tons.

The complex also has a reception area for grain and a silo for transported cargo, offices, and a quality control laboratory.

The project includes supply of a husking machine, a 450 square-metre warehouse, mechanised transport, weighbridge, water plant, and electricity.

According to a statement from Incatema Consulting, this month a banana dehydration unit is due to open, as well as to process and package tomato puree in Caxito, costing 19 million euros, and the Mucoso irrigation perimeter in the Dondo municipal area of Kwanza Norte province, costing over 16 million euros.

The Matala municipal area, which is 120 kilometres east of the city of Lubango, has the second largest number of industrial units in Huíla province, and is also an important agricultural development area, which is supported by a 42-kilometre irrigation channel. (macauhub)