Angola prepares to export avocados to Germany

The country will be able to count on another source of foreign currency for the economy, due to the signing of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Angolan Logistics Cargo Regulatory and Certification Agency (ARCCLA), the Angolan Agricultural and Livestock Association and the German companies, Westifalia and Flying Swans, which provides for the import of avocados from the Caála Logistics Platform, in the province of Huambo.

According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ARCCLA, Catarino Fontes Pereira, the first export of avocados from Angola to Europe will be supervised by a team led by Westifalia's director, Zac Bard, whose goal arises from the memorandum of understanding signed in September last year (2024) between ARCCLA, the Angolan Agricultural and Livestock Association (AAPA), Westifalia and Flying Swans, with a view to boosting the avocado value chain from the Caála Logistics Platform, in the province of Huambo.

The agreement provides for the sharing of information, technical assistance and financing for national producers in order to develop and accelerate the avocado export industry, which presupposes guaranteeing the obtaining of phytosanitary certifications, among other requirements and standards imposed by governments or customers, so that the avocado produced in Angola meets internationally recognized quality standards.

The Chairman of ARCCLA, Catarino Fontes Pereira, is a man convinced that the results of the four years of existence of the institution he leads are beginning to be visible, which is why he urges his team to continue to strive for the same dedication and commitment to the tasks assigned to them.

Economic diplomacy

Created in 2020, replacing the then National Shippers' Council, under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport, ARCCLA has stood out for its intense economic diplomacy with countries with which Angola has bilateral cooperation agreements, taking advantage of the comparative advantages that the country has on the international scene.

Its privileged geographical location and the Lobito Corridor, a transport infrastructure that can connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean from the Port of Lobito in Benguela, passing through the provinces of Huambo, Bié and Moxico, with connections to the bordering countries of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are noteworthy.

The global avocado market has been growing at a significant rate of around 9.4 percent per year, with statistics revealing that in 2022 it generated revenues of around US$14.85 billion.

The global avocado industry was worth around US$22.69 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach US$35.55 billion by 2029.

Accordingly, the Angolan government, through ARCCLA, in partnership with AAPA, has drawn up an ambitious programme that could have an impact on the diversification of sources of foreign exchange in the medium and long term, with a view to taking advantage of the potential for avocado cultivation across almost the entire national territory, with a predominance in the Central Plateau region.

Given the high commercial value and the scarcity of regions specialised in its production, this programme is supported by infrastructures such as the Lobito Corridor and the National Network of Logistics Platforms that enable the development of the Agribusiness value chain.

Pilot project “Avocado Cluster”

The "Minho municipality", located in the province of Huambo, is expected to be one of the largest suppliers of avocados for national consumption and export from this year onwards, due to the operationalization of the project called "Avocado Cluster", a consortium that will have production centers in different regions.

The pilot phase is implemented at Fazenda Mungo, carried out by the Ministry of Transport, represented by the Logistics Cargo Regulation and Certification Agency (ARCCLA) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The project director, Chris Mister, told our reporter that the option for the Minho region is due to the fact that the area boasts a rare potential to produce avocados of the highest standard with a focus on exporting to European markets and the United States of America, at a time when there are already partnerships with companies that show interest in commercial exchanges with the Angolan market.

Avocado production and processing, from Chris Mister's perspective, will be one of the main sources of revenue for the national economy, based on expert analysis, based on exceptional indicators, such as ideal climate, altitude, concentration of different water sources and low density that give the Central Plateau the perfect conditions for the cultivation of this important raw material.

"Large sums of money were invested in the embryonic phase because it is a project that will transform the entire region from an economic point of view", he predicted.

Studies carried out reveal that Angola, in general, has good conditions for avocado cultivation, but the Central Plateau region makes the difference due to its excellent particular conditions, being considered an "export window.

The Avocado Cluster brings together a group of three commercial farms that will work together with family farmers, at a time when the first partners have already been selected to benefit from training and thousands of avocado plants of different species, in order to transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture.

ARCCLA, as the regulatory institution responsible for supervising and regulating the activity of agents in the logistics chain, has, among several responsibilities, the mission of managing the National Network of Logistics Platforms (RNPL), which includes the logistics platforms of Caála (Huambo), Arimba (Malanje), Luvo (Uíge) and Luau (Moxico, designed to support production centers, within the framework of the program to diversify the economy and achieve food self-sufficiency.

Source: https://www.jornaldeangola.ao/#/noticias/