Paulina Quintao – A Ministry of Agriculture program offering free field plowing to farmers has been labeled as useless due to the lack of food production.
National MP Manuel Guterres said while the program was a good initiative to encourage farmers to increase their production, but there should be better oversight by the technical support staff. He also called for closer monitoring of extension agents as some based in the sukus (villages) were not working actively.
The ministry's Secretary of State, Cesar Jose da Cruz, said the program provides the subsidy to help motivate farmers to improve their production levels.
He acknowledged that the program was limited to those who were eligible and had submitted their proposals. "It is a subsidy from the government to motivate the farmers to improve their production," he said.
Meanwhile, extension agent Feliciano Soares said the program had been helpful to farmers in the Viqueque municipality. He said farmers were selected based on their proposal submitted to the agriculture director in their municipality.