US embassy cable - 05MAPUTO308

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MAPUTO 000308 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR AF/S TREGER AND O/GAC - KRAPPOSELLI 
USDA FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY AND UNDER SECRETARY BOST 
USDA FAS FOR HRAPSKY 
PRETORIA FOR AG COUNSELOR AND AG ATTACHE 
MBABANE FOR DSDORSEY 
USAID FOR AFR/SA DMENDELSON 
USAID for AFR/SD - HSUKIN 
USDOC FOR RTELCHIN 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, EAID, KHIV, ECON, ETRD, MZ, HIV/AIDS/PEPFAR 
SUBJECT: U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE VISITS 
MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: Maputo 173 
 
1. Summary: On February 15-18, a high-level USDA 
delegation, led by Deputy Secretary James Moseley, visited 
Mozambique to gain a better understanding of International 
Baby Food Network (IBFAN)-funded activities on 
breast-feeding, infant feeding and nutrition. USDA is 
reviewing IBFAN's 2004 Proposal "Helping HIV-Positive 
Parents in Africa In Making Infant Feeding Decisions for 
or 
2005-2009" prior to making a decision whether to fund IBFAN 
activities. Additionally, the delegation visited 
agriculture and development projects receiving USG 
technical and financial assistance. End Summary. 
 
2. On February 15-18, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture 
James Moseley, and Under Secretary for Food Nutrition and 
Consumer Services Eric Bost visited Mozambique to review 
the work of Reencontro, a Mozambican NGO that represents 
IBFAN in Mozambique. Additionally, the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) delegation met with Ajuda de 
Desenvolvimento de Povo Para Povo (ADPP) Mozambique, a USDA 
P.L. 480 Food for Progress Partner, and visited a sweet 
potato and cassava research center and a citrus orchard in 
Southern Mozambique supported through USAID-funded 
technical assistance programs. 
 
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AN INTRODUCTION TO HIV/AIDS AND FOOD SECURITY IN MOZAMBIQUE 
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3. Upon arrival in Mozambique, Ambassador La Lime, Centers 
for Disease Control (CDC) Country Director Alfredo Vergara, 
and members of the USAID Rural Incomes, HIV/AIDS and Health 
Teams greeted the USDA delegation. Over lunch, the 
Ambassador gave a broad overview of political, economic, 
and social issues in Mozambique, including the country's 
battle against HIV/AIDS. She noted that Mozambique is 
unique in that it qualifies for assistance under both the 
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the 
Millennium Challenge Account. HIV/AIDS prevalence in 
Mozambique has risen from 3.3 percent in 1992 to almost 15 
percent in 2004. An estimated 1,400,000 adults (ages 15-49) 
are living with HIV/AIDS. At the end of September 2004, 
5,600 adults were on ARVs and that number has risen to over 
8,000 in March 2005 and will continue to increase with 
expanded support for HIV/AIDS programs from the U.S. and 
many other donors. The estimated number of AIDS orphans in 
Mozambique is 273,000. Eleven million of the country's 
18.5 million people live in poverty; a significant number 
of households are continuously at risk of food insecurity. 
 
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A VISIT TO ADPP USDA FOOD FOR PROGRESS PARTNER 
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4. In the afternoon, the delegation received a warm welcome 
from students at the Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo Para 
Povo (ADPP) Mozambique teacher training college (ADPP has 
been working in Mozambique for 23 years). Planet Aid, a 
U.S. branch of the Danish organization Humana People to 
People, began a Food for Progress Partnership Program with 
USDA in 2004. Planet Aid's Mozambican NGO counterpart, 
ADPP Mozambique, is managing the implementation of the 
program. The three-year P.L. 480 Food for Progress program 
is funded by the monetization of 9,000 metric tons of 
soybean oil and the distribution of 990 metric tons of 
nutritional soy products, including soy flour and soy 
protein, to rural communities. 
 
5. The ADPP Mozambique country director gave a brief 
presentation on the objectives of the Food for Progress 
Program. The soybean oil sale proceeds are being used to: 
- Educate 200,000 people in HIV/AIDS-affected communities 
about the disease and prevention methods based on the Total 
Control of Epidemic (TCE) program;- Recruit and train 450 
rural primary school teachers; 
- And implement agricultural economic development in 
connection with ADPP teacher training colleges and 180 
primary schools. 
 
6. ADPP is using the 990 metric tons of soy products for 
two types of direct feeding programs to counter the affects 
of HIV/AIDS in communities. ADPP has identified 200 field 
officers and will train them, according to TCE standards, 
to distribute highly nourishing soy products and to provide 
home-based care and nutrition services for HIV/AIDS- 
affected patients and families. Additionally, ADPP is 
opening 50 soy canteens that will provide low-cost 
nutritious meals in poor communities. The canteens are 
providing low-cost meals available to all members of the 
community; however, meals are provided free of charge to 
orphans and AIDS patients. 
 
7. The Maputo teacher training college is currently 
preparing 150 young teachers to teach in rural primary 
schools. 
 
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A GLIMPSE OF REECONTRO'S ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
8. On Wednesday, February 16, the delegation arrived at 
Reencontro headquarters, where over sixty Reencontro 
community activists, nurses, and young mothers met them. 
(Note: Reencontro is the Association for Support and 
Development of AIDS orphaned children. End Note.) Led by 
Reencontro President and IBFAN Coordinator for Lusophone 
Countries, Olinda Mugabe, the group surveyed various 
professional skill development activities for orphan 
children, including sewing and ceramic making projects. 
 
9. Following this, several Reencontro community groups 
briefed the delegation on their activities. Reencontro 
supports HIV/AIDS infected mothers by sending nurses into 
the field to advise mothers on breast-feeding and infant 
and child feeding options. Reencontro also provides 
assistance to infected mothers through home-based care 
visits and medical assistance. Reencontro supports 
HIV/AIDS orphaned children by identifying vacancies in 
schools, paying school fees, materials, and uniforms, 
providing food, clothing, and medical assistance, and by 
identifying community members who can act as substitute 
families. 
 
10. Reencontro is composed of several support groups 
community activists; a youth group that speaks to children 
in schools about the prevention of teen pregnancy, sexually 
transmitted diseases, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS; a 
children's group that discusses nutrition, infant care, and 
the roles and responsibilities of men and women in the 
family; and a men's group that visits communities and 
shares information on breast-feeding, infant feeding and 
nutrition. Approximately 1,450 HIV/AIDS orphans in Maputo 
City and 1,000 in Xai-Xai, the capital of Gaza province, 
benefit from Reencontro's work. 
 
11. The delegation visited five households aided by 
Reencontro in the outskirts of Maputo City. The visits to 
HIV/AIDS infected mothers and orphaned families 
demonstrated how Reencontro community activists support 
children heads of household, find substitute families for 
orphaned children, and build new homes for orphaned 
families. 
 
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UMBELUZI AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER 
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12. On February 17, Deputy Secretary Moseley visited the 
Umbeluzi Agricultural Research Center. The government's 
National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA) manages 
the research center. At the Umbeluzi facility, SARRNET 
(Southern Africa Root and Tuber Crops Research Network) 
multiplies and distributes high yielding and improved 
nutritional varieties of sweet potatoes and cassava. The 
Umbeluzi Center serves as one of six primary multiplication 
sites across Mozambique. 
 
13. The Umbeluzi facility has also been used to develop, 
test and promote the use of processed products from sweet 
potato and cassava, in close collaboration with government, 
private sector, and interested NGOs. Six U.S. PVOs (World 
Vision, Food for the Hungry, Africare, CARE, Save the 
Children and Adventist Development and Relief Agency 
International) are currently partners with USAID in a 
series of large food security activities in four northern 
and central provinces, and are primary conduits through 
which planting material is passed on to an 
estimated 450,000 participating farm families. 
 
14. The SARRNET activity in Mozambique builds on successful 
experiences in neighboring countries. Moreover, it expands 
the model to include greater emphasis on improving Vitamin 
A intake through the promotion of orange-flesh sweet 
potatoes, as well as on enhanced value-added processing of 
cassava and sweet potato for income generation. 
 
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A CITRUS SUCCESS STORY 
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15. Lastly, Deputy Secretary Moseley visited Citrum, a 
successful citrus farm owned and operated by Mozambicans 
exporting quality Star Ruby grapefruit to Europe. 
 
16. With the assistance of TechnoServe, a US-based non- 
profit development organization, the owners Paulo and Alex 
Negrao were able to purchase the citrus plantation through 
a privatization tender from the Government of Mozambique in 
2002. TechnoServe assisted the Negraos in developing a 
business plan, an export marketing strategy, and helped the 
business obtain some debt and equity financing from a local 
financial services company and a US private investor. 
TechnoServe also helped Citrum negotiate market linkages 
with EU fruit importers. 
 
17. Citrum employs nearly 300 full and part-time employees. 
The Negraos took a defunct citrus plantation and, in two 
years, rehabilitated over 30,000 trees, refurbished both 
packing houses, and raised export levels to 72% of 
production, up from 18% under the estate's previous 
management. This translates to 33,000 cartons of star ruby 
grapefruit exported in 2003. No single carton has been 
rejected by international export boards, either in 
Mozambique or at European ports. Citrum could see 
substantial increases in profit margins in 2005 with 
capital investment for new tools and equipment. Citrum has 
not as yet been able to replace any of the machinery that 
came with the estate when they acquired it in 2002, most of 
which is over 30 years old. With increased capital 
investment, Citrum has the potential to be the primary 
catalyst for growth and development for the entire Boane 
region. 
 
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REFLECTIONS 
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18. USDA's visit to Mozambique shed light on the positive 
work that IBFAN is doing to promote breast-feeding, infant 
nutrition and care for HIV/AIDS infected mothers and 
orphans. Despite all the work being done to combat HIV/AIDS 
and provide nutritional help to infected families and 
orphaned children, people living with HIV/AIDS and orphans 
continue to face serious difficulties in securing adequate 
food supplies. Site visits to Umbuluzi Agricultural 
Research Center and Citrum underscored the importance of 
USG technical and financial assistance to improve 
agricultural production and entrepreneurship in Mozambique. 
LA LIME