Mozambique imports around 600,000 tonnes of rice and 700,000 tonnes of wheat annually to meet the needs of the domestic market, figures that the Mozambique Grain Institute considers an opportunity to attract investment in production, agro-processing and import substitution.

The information was provided a few days ago by the Director-General of the Mozambique Grain Institute, Luís Jobe Fazenda, during the fourth edition of the Afro World Agri Food International Forum 2026, held in Nairobi, Kenya, where he presented Mozambique’s experience in managing cereal imports and invited Indian businesses to invest in the country’s agribusiness sector.

Photo: Instituto de Cereais de Moçambique, IP

According to Fazenda, Mozambique currently sources from several European, American and Asian markets, including India, to ensure domestic supplies of rice and wheat.

The scale of the imports, he explained, also reveals the potential for investment capable of increasing domestic production and reducing external dependence.

For the Director-General of the Mozambique Grain Institute, the volumes imported represent a concrete opportunity for investors interested in developing agricultural production chains geared towards the domestic market and, whenever there are surpluses, towards exports.

Fazenda called for greater support for the production of crops such as rice and wheat, accompanied by the establishment of agro-processing facilities to add value to domestic production.

In this context, he invited companies to invest in rice milling plants, packaging facilities and wheat mills, taking advantage of Mozambique’s openness to new investment.

The move, according to the official, could allow some of the products currently sourced from abroad to be produced and processed domestically, strengthening national value chains and creating new business opportunities.

Photo: Instituto de Cereais de Moçambique, IP

During the same session, Luís Fazenda also invited Indian investors to invest in the production of pigeon peas, sesame, soybeans and cashew nuts, products with the potential to increase domestic production and boost exports.

According to Fazenda, investment in these value chains could help increase production volumes, ensure greater availability of raw materials for processing and strengthen Mozambique’s capacity to place products on international markets.

India is one of the markets of interest, both because of its participation in agricultural trade with Mozambique and the potential to expand trade relations between the two countries.

On the sidelines of the session, contacts were established with several companies involved in agricultural trade, some of which expressed interest in purchasing Mozambican products.

The contacts could pave the way for new commercial partnerships and the establishment of channels for marketing domestic production, particularly in product value chains with strong demand in international markets.

Source: AIM Moçambique

Published Date: August 11, 2026