A fruit farm in the municipality of Caimbambo, Benguela province, lost 50 per cent of its production this agricultural season — an estimated 2.5 tonnes of citrus fruit and mango — because deteriorating road access has made it impossible to bring goods to market, the farm’s owner told the Angolan state news agency ANGOP.
Lemons, oranges, tangerines and mangoes were among the produce affected, with rotting fruit visibly scattered across the ground of the São Filipe farm at the time of reporting.
Owner Filipe Sapalalo said that since operations began in 2015, the primary obstacle facing the farm has been the poor condition of the access road, which prevents heavy vehicles from reaching the property. As a result, farmers are forced to rely on three-wheeled motorised vehicles known locally as kaleluias to move produce.
The farm typically yields five tonnes of fruit per agricultural season. Given that volume, Sapalalo said the number of trips required to transport all produce using kaleluias is prohibitive, compounded by freight costs of between 25,000 and 30,000 kwanzas per load.
Sapalalo, who has financed the operation entirely from his own funds since its inception, said he has never applied for agricultural credit, citing a lack of technical support and information about available schemes. He expressed a strong desire to change that situation, saying he aims to acquire a 3,500-kilogramme pickup truck to transport produce to the municipal seat of Cubal and to the city of Benguela.
“I would like to acquire a 3,500-kilogramme truck to transport products to Caimbambo, Cubal, and perhaps Benguela, in order to increase revenues and put an end to recurring losses,” he said.
Sapalalo also said he intends to apply for government support programmes to acquire a tractor and diesel-powered water pumps, which he described as more economical, with the goal of scaling up production significantly.
He said that if those resources were secured, he could expand the farm’s cultivated area from the current five hectares to the full 27 hectares he owns.
“With a tractor and diesel pumps, in addition to expanding citrus production, I could also produce large quantities of maize, sorghum and pearl millet, crops that I currently grow only on a small scale,” he said.
The Cubal River lies 225 metres from the farm, and irrigation is currently carried out using petrol-powered pumps, a method that significantly raises production costs.
Sapalalo acknowledged that he has received some assistance from the Municipal Agriculture Office, including water pumps, irrigation hoses and bags of fertiliser.
“With more government support, I believe this region could produce much larger quantities of citrus and other agricultural products, because the land is highly fertile,” he said.
He recalled that Caimbambo is the largest citrus-producing municipality in Benguela province and noted that during the colonial era the area supplied the beverages, juices and soft drinks industry — pointing to the former Dusol factory as an example of that productive legacy.
“We have the drive and the will; we just need support and more investment in this region to restore that tradition,” he said.
On the question of fertiliser procurement, Sapalalo said he purchases inputs in Benguela city. He requires ten 50-kilogramme bags of urea and NPK 12-24-12 per citrus variety but said he can afford only seven bags due to cost constraints. “The last time I bought ammonium, it cost 24,000 kwanzas per bag,” he noted.
Asked about the Lobito Corridor — the transcontinental rail route being rehabilitated across central Africa — and whether it offered commercial opportunities for his operation, Sapalalo said he had yet to benefit from it, citing the distance between the farm and the railway line and the ongoing difficulties with local distribution. The road connecting the Cayave commune to the municipal seat of Caimbambo, spanning approximately 33 kilometres, requires widening, bridge repairs and general rehabilitation.
Despite the challenges, Sapalalo said he remains optimistic about the future and is confident that provincial and local authorities will act to improve access to the commune. Looking ahead, he is planning to diversify into coffee production, which he views as more resilient to the drought cycles that periodically affect the area.
“I had a first attempt when I bought robusta coffee seedlings from Bengo province, but unfortunately they did not germinate. Now I am going to try to source arabica coffee from Ganda, where it is available in abundance,” he said. He added that he has already prepared two hectares for an experimental production phase.
“Coffee is easier to irrigate using dryland farming methods and offers greater commercial advantages,” he said.
Sapalalo employs three permanent workers, with the remainder of the labour provided by members of his family.
The difficulties faced by the São Filipe farm reflect broader structural constraints in Angola’s agricultural sector, where inadequate rural road infrastructure continues to limit market access and undermine the viability of smallholder and medium-scale producers — even in regions with well-established agricultural potential.
Source: ANGOP
