Renamo actions force Agriterra to wind down cattle ranches

Agriterra is an agricultural company with maize and beef operations in Mozambique. It is based in Manica province but also has operations in Tete province.

The company has released a statement lamenting that “the political and economic environment in Mozambique has deteriorated during the course of 2016 and local Renamo militias are now entrenched in some rural areas in the Manica province, where the Company’s three farms are located”.

It added that “the decision has been made to destock these farms in order to protect the value of the herd during a period in which there is an increased possibility of livestock theft and an increased risk in the movement of people and goods in the country”.

The three farms in Mavonde, Dombe, and Inhazonia, currently hold four thousand cattle. Over the next ten months, the company will transfer them to its facility in Vanduzi for fattening and slaughter.

The company is hopeful that “the political situation in Mozambique will stabilise, permitting the farms to be redeveloped as cattle ranching farms”.

Renamo’s ambushes on traffic in central Mozambique have had a serious effect on the country’s economy, contributing to rising inflation. It is also having a direct influence on employment with the decision of Agriterra to wind down its operations inevitably leading to local job losses.