Malanje, Oct 23, 2004 - The Angolan government will invest, in 2005, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), four million and 800.000 dollars, in actions of the northern region's Food Cultures Development Programme (Prodeca).

The fact was announced on Friday, in the northern Malanje province, by the deputy minister of Agriculture, Zacarias Sambeny, at the end of a visit to this region, adding that the initiative aims atstrengthening and consolidating the actions of the project, as well as assuring the sustainability of peasant populations and families of Malanje, Kwanza-Norte and Uige provinces.

Prodeca assists over 150.000 peasant families in these three provinces, being around 4.000 families per year, since its implementation in 1997.

The Agriculture deputy minister's visit to Malanje aimed at balancing the activities executed by Prodeca and assess the 2005 plan and budget of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry (MINADER) for this province.

During his stay in Malanje, the deputy minister visited the works of the rural extension research and training centre, the seeds multiplying centre of Prodeca, as well as inaugurated and officially offered the Agrarian Development Station (EDA) in Calandula district, at 85 kilometres from Malanje city.

Zacarias Sambeny was accompanied, in his trip, by high ranked employees of his office and by director generals of the Agronomic Investigation Institute (IIA) and of the Agrarian Development Institute (IDA), namely, Joaquim Cesar and Afonso Canga, respectively.