Saudi Arabia Signs MoU with Mozambique to Enhance Joint Cooperation on Agriculture & Rural Development

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi's official visit to the Kingdom, which began on March 3. Abdul Rahman Al-Fadhli, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, and Celso Correia, Mozambique's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, signed the agreement. 

Cereals (wheat, sorghum, barley, and millet), vegetables (tomato, watermelon, eggplant, potato, cucumber, and onions), fruits (date palm, citrus, and grapes), and forage crops are among the major crops (alfalfa) in Saudi Arabia.

Cooperation in agricultural fields, rural development with a focus on agricultural industries and poultry production, livestock breeding and irrigation, sanitary measures, biotechnology, capacity building, agricultural and veterinary work, and promoting agricultural investment in Mozambique are all included in the memorandum.

Tobacco, cotton, sesame, sugar, and tea are the most important cash crops in Mozambique. Small farmers' tree crops, particularly coconut and cashew, are an important source of foreign exchange earnings and contribute to household food security. Mozambique also cultivates wild plums.

The two parties agreed on a mechanism to increase data and expertise exchanges, hold conferences and workshops, and form a joint task force to develop executive programmes to improve cooperation.

The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture has recently signed a number of local and international cooperation agreements to improve environmental protection and preservation, joint areas of cooperation in the environment, water, and agriculture sectors, and working on their sustainability within the framework of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 objectives.