The Agricultural Development Fund (FDA) is financing a programme to promote a new variety of mango with a high commercial value, aimed at small and medium-sized farmers in the provinces of Maputo and Inhambane in the south of the country, Mozambican news agency AIM reported.

The programme, which is expected to cost 5 million meticals a year (around US$178,000) is intended to ensure that farmers have access to good quality saplings of better varieties, to supply the internal and external markets with quality fruit and also be an alternative source of income for farmers.

The programme, which was launched last year, involves financing farmers in seven districts of Maputo province to buy 30,000 mango saplings of the “Tommy Atkins” variety.

As of this year the project also covers Inhambane province and is expected to expand into other parts of the country in the future.

“The FDA is involved in the programme through distribution of the saplings to farmers at a price with around a 40 percent subsidy,” said Dânia Falcão, head of the FDA’s Forestry Department, who added that this programme would cover other fruits in the future, including pineapple and papaya.

The “Tommy Atkins” variety of mango, which originated in neighbouring South Africa, has potential to produce 20 tons of fruit per hectare, but at this initial stage in Mozambique local experts expect a yield of 10 tons per hectare. (macauhub)