DILI, 26 october 2023 (TATOLI) – Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Forestry (MoALFF) is going to buy new 25 farm tractors to support local farmers in boosting crop productivity to meet the national needs for feed and food.
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, Marcos da Cruz, said that the tender for the purchase of the tractors will be opened to the public in the near future, stating that these tractors would arrive in the country by the end of december.
Cruz said that bidding will be conducted by the National Procurement Commission (NPC): “The Ministry allocated US$1 million for the purchase of these tractors.”
These tractors would be distributed to five municipalities, including Baucau, Manatuto, Viqueque, Bobonaro, and Lautém.
Minister Cruz said that the aim of distributing these tractors to the municipalities is to help farmers cultivate more abandoned farmland to increase the production of rice, corn, and many other local crops.
“Many tractors have broken down, therefore, while repairing these tractors, we have also planned the purchase the new ones,” added Minister Cruz.
Cruz informed the MoALFF will allocate more money from its 2024 budget to buy more tractors next year.
“The Ministry of Agriculture has acquired 2,389 tractors, of which 339 are big tractors and 2,050 are hand tractors. Most of these tractors are in bad condition. Of the 339 tractors, 151 are currently in good condition and are being used by local farmers to cultivate their land. We planned to repair another 70 tractors as well,” the National Director of Agriculture and Horticulture, Lucio Ribeiro told TATOLI.
The troubleshooting of these tractors has indeed affected the production of local food, making the country to import more food, especially rice from other countries like Thailand and Vietnam to meet the national food demand.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
