“Gapi has contributed to increase production and productivity in the agribusiness sector, helping to make agriculture a more viable activity, through its intervention methodology” – said João Mosca, CEO of Rural Environment Observatory (OMR). These statements were made after Gapi’s intervention at the agribusiness conference promoted by the OMR held in Maputo on 8th and 9th March. Gapi’s presentation focused on its contribution to the modernization of agriculture, with particular emphasis on the funding it provides for this sector.
During the presentation, the head of Gapi’s Microfinance Department, Ramos Joaquim, presented examples of intervention by this Development Financial Institution, noting that, in the last three years, it has financed around MZN650 million (around US$10.8 million) to several projects in the chain of value of agribusiness, fomenting 40 thousand jobs (formal and informal), of which 38% are employed by women.
Another aspect worthy of recognition is the principles of geographical and cultural proximity which Gapi adopts both through its delegations and through a network of Rural Banks and Producer Organizations which guarantee access to financial services for small producers and, therefore, extend its scope. In this debate, emphasis was placed on the promotion of financial literacy in rural communities, where Gapi has assisted producer organizations in the creation of Savings and Loans Groups (GPEs).
Another actor who praised the results of applying the integrated Gapi methodology is the president of the sector Agribusiness and Fisheries in the CTA, Adelino Buque,
“I congratulate Gapi on its strategy for action in rural areas, offering various financing alternatives. Credit and technical assistance to agribusiness has been one of the flags of Gapi, and the result is what we have been following: several peasants today have become farmers. The challenge now is to expand support in the creation of cooperatives and companies, because this is the only way to guarantee the sustainability of these successful interventions.”- He said.
Operators of the agribusiness sector and other stakeholders and related to this sector, among them entrepreneurs, business associations, farmers, managers, specialists of public administration, researchers, academics, among others, also emphasized the role that Gapi has played to develop this sector.