Government Reinforces Support for Agriculture with New Equipment Deliveries and Reactivation of Productive Land in Lautém and Ainaro
The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock and Forestry, continues to implement measures to strengthen the national agricultural sector, with two more recent initiatives in the municipalities of Lautém and Ainaro. The initiatives, led by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Rural Development and Community Housing, Mariano Assanami Sabino, and the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, Marcos da Cruz, included the delivery of agricultural machinery to groups of farmers and the reactivation of previously abandoned land. 
In Lautém, at the Luro Administrative Post, four groups of farmers received four hand tractors, four rice harvesting machines and seven rice planting machines on April 8th, 2025, provided under the Sustainable Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project (SAPIP). During the distribution ceremony, Minister Marcos da Cruz stressed the importance of mechanization to increase efficiency and productivity. “In the past we used to farm with traditional tools, but there was little efficiency. That's why this equipment will make our work easier and help us increase production,” said Marcos da Cruz. 
The Vice Prime Minister called on farmers to unite and work together, particularly the beneficiary groups and young people, to continue working hard, using productive land for agricultural purposes, in order to reduce dependence on food imports. 
Still in Lautem, the two leaders took part in a community dialogue in Suco Eukisi, where they announced that the hamlets of Boru-Batu, Vaniria and Barliu will be covered in the next phase of the Rural Development and Community Housing Program, which is already benefiting around 150 hamlets throughout the territory. The population has expressed concerns about the abandonment of fields and the degradation of irrigation infrastructures. In response, the Minister of Agriculture encouraged the submission of formal proposals so that the technical teams can assess the needs and plan recovery interventions. 
On April 15th, 2025, in the municipality of Ainaro, in Raibere, Leolima village, Hato-Udo Administrative Post, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock and Forestry launched a mechanized planting activity on 30 hectares of land that had been abandoned. The action involved the use of eleven pieces of modern agricultural equipment - four large tractors, two rice harvesting machines and five rice planting machines - also acquired through the SAPIP project. The Raibere area was selected because it had an irrigation system built in 2016, which has since been degraded and is now in the process of being rehabilitated. 
“The purpose of our presence here is to show the community that these machines are available to farmers and that the government is committed to reactivating land with productive potential to increase rice production in Ainaro,” explained Marcos da Cruz. The activity was attended by local authorities, technicians from the agricultural sector and members of the community, who expressed their satisfaction at the support received. “For many years, we grew rice by hand. Now we have access to modern machinery that allows us to work more efficiently and save time,” said farmer Adriano Coelho da Silva.
These initiatives in Lautém and Ainaro are in addition to several others implemented in recent months by the government in the municipalities of Liquisa, Covalima, Ermera, the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cusse Ambeno (RAEOA), Bobonaro, Viqueque, Baucau and Dili. In February, six tractors, six rice harvesting machines and twelve rice planting machines were delivered to Liquisa. In March, the same type of support was given to groups of farmers in Covalima and Ainaro. In Ermera, on April 1st, modern machinery was delivered to Asulau Sare Village. In the RAEOA, the activity took place in Naimeco, with a focus on organic farming. In October 2024, innovative agricultural inputs and technologies were delivered to the training centers in Baucau, Bobonaro and Viqueque. In Dili, also in October, tractors and equipment were delivered to training centers to strengthen organic farming. In addition, in August 2024, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão led a handover of various pieces of agricultural equipment in Bobonaro, Ainaro and Covalima.
