The country may soon have another source of foreign exchange for its economy, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Angola Logistics Regulation and Certification Agency (ARCCLA), the Agricultural Association of Angola, and the German companies Westifalia and Flying Swans.
This agreement plans the importation of avocados from the Caála Logistics Platform in the Huambo province. According to the Chairman of ARCCLA, Catarino Fontes Pereira, Angola’s first avocado export to Europe will be overseen by a team led by Westifalia’s manager, Zac Bard. This initiative follows the memorandum signed in September 2024 between ARCCLA, the Agricultural Association of Angola (AAPA), Westifalia, and Flying Swans, with the aim of boosting the avocado value chain from the Caála Logistics Platform in Huambo.
The agreement includes the sharing of information, technical assistance, and financing to local producers to develop and accelerate the avocado export industry. This involves ensuring the acquisition of phytosanitary certifications and meeting other requirements and standards imposed by governments or customers, so that the avocados produced in Angola meet internationally recognized quality standards.
The ARCCLA Chairman, Catarino Fontes Pereira, is confident that the results of the four years of the institution’s existence are becoming visible. Therefore, he encourages his team to continue with the same dedication and commitment in the tasks assigned to them.
Economic Diplomacy
Created in 2020 to replace the National Loading Council under the Ministry of Transport, ARCCLA has distinguished itself through intense economic diplomacy with countries that have bilateral cooperation agreements with Angola, leveraging the country’s comparative advantages on the international stage.
Notable advantages include its strategic geographic location and the Lobito Corridor, an infrastructure in the transport sector that could connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean via the Lobito Port in Benguela, passing through the provinces of Huambo, Bié, and Moxico, and linking Angola to neighboring countries like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The global avocado market has been growing at impressive rates, averaging 9.4% per year, with statistics showing that in 2022 it generated revenues of approximately $14.85 billion.
The avocado industry worldwide was valued at around $22.69 billion in 2024, and is projected to reach $35.55 billion by 2029.
In this context, the Angolan government, through ARCCLA and in partnership with AAPA, has developed an ambitious program that could contribute to the diversification of foreign exchange sources in the medium and long term, aiming to capitalize on the potential for avocado cultivation across much of the national territory, with the Central Plateau region being particularly dominant.
Given its high commercial value and the scarcity of specialized production regions, this program is supported by infrastructures like the Lobito Corridor and the National Logistics Platform Network, which allow for the development of the agribusiness value chain.
Pilot Project “Avocado Cluster”
The “Minho municipality,” located in the Huambo province, is expected to become one of the largest suppliers of avocados for national consumption and export from this year, due to the operationalization of the “Avocado Cluster” project, a consortium with production centers in various regions.
The pilot phase is implemented at the Mungo Farm, carried out by the Ministry of Transport, represented by ARCCLA, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Project director Chris Mister told our reporter that the choice of the Minho region was due to its rare potential to produce high-quality avocados for export to European and U.S. markets, especially since partnerships with companies interested in trade with the Angolan market are already in place.
According to Chris Mister, avocado production and processing will become one of the main sources of revenue for the national economy, based on expert analysis, which highlights exceptional indicators such as ideal climate, altitude, diverse water sources, and low population density, providing the Central Plateau with perfect conditions for this important raw material.
“Significant amounts of money have been invested in the early stages because this project will transform the entire region economically,” he predicted.
Studies have shown that Angola, in general, has good conditions for avocado cultivation, but the Central Plateau region stands out for its exceptional conditions, being considered an “export window.”
The Avocado Cluster includes a set of three commercial farms that will work alongside family farmers, with the first partners already selected to receive training and thousands of avocado plants of various species, enabling a transition from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
ARCCLA, as the regulatory institution responsible for overseeing and regulating activities in the logistics chain, has the mission of managing the National Logistics Platform Network (RNPL), which includes the logistics platforms in Caála (Huambo), Arimba (Malanje), Luvo (Uíge), and Luau (Moxico), designed to support production centers within the framework of the economic diversification program and achieving food self-sufficiency.
Source: Jornal de Angola
