A cadeia de produção agro-industrial e os desafios da integração econômica regional na SADC: o caso de Moçambique

Abstract

This study examines the impact on agribusiness resulting from Mozambique's subscription to the SADC Trade Protocol. The study, which covers some countries in the region, namely South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique, involves aggregates of agricultural, livestock and by-products as well as food, beverage and tobacco , in order to assess the impacts and challenges resulting from the new trade dynamics in the region, on the Mozambique economy in general and particularly on agribusiness in the context of Regional Economic Integration in SADC The study showed that the process of trade liberalization at the external and regional level that has been gradually taking shape since the conversion of SADCC into SADC in 1994 has increased trade flows between Mozambique and the other members of the bloc, but this exchange, it is still not advantageous for Mozambique. This finding is supported by the balance of Mozambique's regional and international trade in these product aggregates. The conclusions point to the weak competitiveness of Mozambican agribusiness, the disintegration or non-existence of ICPVs in agribusiness and the need to boost investment in knowledge, infrastructure and the training of agents involved in production processes, creating conditions for access to resources such as credit, information about markets, incentives and others that help in the production process. On the other hand, there is room for the occurrence of internal economic complementarities as well as between the States that are part of the bloc in the scope of the aggregates of products analyzed in this study. Thus, it is recommended to adopt strategies for the internal integration of the Mozambican economy, which will allow economic specialization with a starting point in the district, seen as a development pole, starting from a process of transformation of family farming into commercial ones with the consequent generation and integration of ICPV's. With this dynamic, it is expected that the comparative advantages that Mozambique has in agribusiness will be converted into competitive advantages with consequent economic and social benefits.