The Guinea-Bissau Government will “soon” buy 500 tractors for agricultural production. According to news portal Macauhub, the move, announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Aníbal João Pereira, is said to mark the first step towards the mechanisation of agriculture in the country.

Mr Pereira – speaking at a ceremony in Bafatá marking the new agricultural year – said the Government currently has 40 tractors to enable mechanised farming in large fields; and cultivator equipment to support rural communities with smaller plots. The Government also has motor pumps and rice husking machines, which, according to the Minister, will immediately be made available to rural workers.

The Government, Mr Pereira added, has already identified 15,000 hectares of land where mechanised production can begin immediately.

Last month, António Tavares, the Guinean representative in a co-operation project between China and Guinea-Bissau, pointed out to Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua that rice production in the Bafatá region has been growing. He said that was especially due to the support it has been receiving from a Chinese agricultural mission. According to Mr Tavares, this initiative has helped to improve agricultural techniques in Guinea-Bissau, as well as assisting in the training of locals.