Mozambican business leaders are seeking to leverage Thailand’s expertise and private sector experience to expand rice production, aiming to strengthen domestic food security and supply markets across southern Africa.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting in Maputo between representatives of Mozambique’s business community and a visiting delegation of Thai private sector entrepreneurs, according to the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA).
“Thailand’s experience and technology in this sector are recognised worldwide. Imagine the impact if this experience were applied here in Mozambique. Producing in Mozambique, processing here in Mozambique, locally, and supplying not only our market but the entire southern African region,” said Amâncio Gume, vice-president of the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), after the meeting.
According to Gume, a potential partnership between the two countries could significantly increase Mozambique’s rice output, enabling the country to meet domestic demand while creating new export opportunities.
Mozambique has approximately 36 million hectares of arable land, as well as abundant water resources and climatic conditions that allow for multiple harvests throughout the year. However, Gume noted that “only a small part of this land is fully exploited”, highlighting the significant opportunity for agricultural expansion.
Representing the Thai delegation, Phong Mekthipphachai expressed readiness to share technical knowledge and agricultural technologies that could help Mozambique strengthen productivity and efficiency across its farming sector.
“We know that you have a lot of land for agricultural production that you can use more efficiently to develop it. You also have the market here, not only in Mozambique, you can produce your products for export to Europe. That’s all we can do, collaborate and bring you the technology from our Thailand,” Mekthipphachai assured.
Beyond rice production, the discussions also explored broader opportunities for investment and collaboration in agriculture and related industries. Gume emphasised that Mozambique’s domestic market already offers strong demand for investors interested in local production, irrigation systems, mechanisation and rice processing.
“This opportunity is not just about rice. Mozambique has enormous potential in agro-processing, especially in the processing of tropical fruits, and the machines that this mission brings represent exactly the type of technology we need to reduce agricultural losses and create local value,” said Gume, calling for partnerships with long-term investments.
The CTA said it is ready to facilitate partnerships and help transform ideas from the meeting into concrete projects between Mozambican and Thai businesses.
“I imagine a situation where the world is at war and Mozambique manages, for example, to acquire this technology from Thailand and start producing rice locally. So, it’s an added value for us, because we really need to feed our people,” Gume said.