RW Machambas (RWM), a Mozambican registered company, situated in Montepuez, Cabo Delgado was selected by IFS, a Mozambican registered company subcontracted by CCS JV the principal Consortium in the LNG project, in Afungi, Palma district, to provide local horticulture products to the project site area.
When did this Business start?
“The business initiated in 2017, in 2018 the business started expanding with the support of the Catalisa Project, implemented by TechnoServe.
By then, many opportunities surfaced for RW Machambas to increase their production and continuously strive for more variety to aggregate their range of supply.
An agribusiness working in the horticulture sector since 2017, we started out with 2 hectares of irrigated land, currently RWM produces and packs vegetables to sell to the local market and contractors in the region of Cabo Delgado, we act as a collector and supplier for smallholder farmers in the surrounding community, said the Director of RW Machambas.”
How did the partnership between RWM and IFS start?
“It was a response to an EOI in 2019, with the assistance and linkage from Catalisa project, an opportunity arose for RWM to partner with IFS and provide their products to the LNG project site area, after gladly meeting all the requirements, we started our work together.”
Was this a big challenge for RWM?
“Yes, definitely,
RWM found the necessity to increase the production commercially as IFS services increased and consequently expand their initial number of employees, from 5 to about 34 (until end of Q3 2020).
Basic knowledge and agriculture incentives was provided to manage the operations of needs to guarantee our growing production.”
What is RWM’s point of view regarding the impact of the partnership with IFS?
“The partnership with CCS JV subcontractor IFS, brings about lots of beneficial results to smallholder farmers in the region of Cabo Delgado who coordinate production with us and this provides an opportunity of sustainable business income for more small farmers.”
Any major constraints?
“Despite all the challenges over the past months with Covid19, we RWM, are pleased that IFS can still rely on our supply of products and that we have been able to meet the expectant service.”
Final considerations.
“It is satisfactory to see how everything has turned out, our rapid development and growth.
Having in mind that our initial plan was lesser and currently we supply to more clients around Cabo Delgado impacting positively the lives of small local producers.”
