Calulo - The national agriculture sector will harvest 12,000 tonnes of coffee during the 2009 campaign, in comparison to the 5,000 tonnes harvested in 2008, the minister of Agriculture, Afonso Pedro Canga announced on Friday at Cabuto farm, in coastal Kwanza Sul province.

By speaking at the official opening ceremony of the 2009 national coffee harvest campaign, the government official expressed his conviction that in the coming years the country will increase coffee production rates.

At the occasion, the Angolan minister reiterated the government's determination in assisting the national production, mainly concerning coffee, having for this purpose created technical, material and institutional conditions for farmers, coffee growers and industrialists to carry out their activity.

"We came to this province to reiterate our determination to rehabilitate the coffee and palm oil sector, so as to create jobs and diversify the sources of incomes for the state coiffeurs, in order for us to build and rebuild hospitals, schools and roads and to create various jobs", he affirmed.

The Cabuta farm, situated in Calulo village, Libolo district, where the national coffee harvest campaign was opened, expects to harvest 500 tonnes of the product. The undertaking comprises an area of 3,000 hectares, with 1,333 plants per hectare.

The governor of Kwanza Sul province, Serafim do Prado, national directors of the Ministry of Agriculture, coffee growers and other invited guests attended the opening ceremony of the 2009 national coffee harvest campaign.