DILI, 23 May 2025 (TATOLI) – The President of the Republic, Jose Ramos Horta, joined farmers and local authorities in the village of Oemolo, in Lifau, in the Special Administrative Region of Oe-cusse Ambeno (RAEOA), to witness and celebrate the successful harvest of 52 hectares of rice.
During his visit, President Horta expressed satisfaction with the agricultural development in Oe-cusse. He highlighted the good harvests, ranging from 4 to 6 tons of rice per hectare, achieved by farmers using natural fertilizers.
He also praised the RAEOA leaders, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forests, and especially the local population, for their hard work in agriculture.
“Oe-cusse could produce enough food for itself, and I was satisfied to see more people getting involved in agriculture,” said President Horta.
The President linked this local success to Timor-Leste’s broader national development plan. The Head of State reiterated the goal of the country producing between 80% and 100% of its own food in the next five years.
He added that the government needs to continue supporting farmers, namely through road construction to improve access, implementation of irrigation systems, and improvement of governmental mechanisms designed to help and encourage rural producers.
The Head of State not only reinforced the importance of basic foods such as rice, corn and cassava, but also said that it is very important to cultivate more protein-rich foods, particularly mentioning beans, and encouraged everyone to work together to strengthen Timor-Leste’s agriculture, aiming for better nutrition for its people in the future.
TATOLI
