The Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, the Governor of Hunan Province in China, Mao Weiming, and the Administrator of the Municipality of Manatuto, Bernardo Lopes, launched today an International Cooperation programme for the Agriculture sector between Hunan Province in China and the Municipality of Manatuto. The ceremony took place on September 9^th, 2023, in Manatuto Vila. 

This new cooperation agreement aims to continue the programme, which began in 2014, to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, horticulture, livestock, veterinary science and fisheries.

The Minister of State Administration stated that “this launch represents another step forward in this bilateral cooperation with China”. Tomás Cabral, “as a member of the Government and a son of Manatuto”, also called on the Chinese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, “on behalf of the Government and the people of Manatuto, to maintain constant coordination with the Ministry of State Administration and the Municipality of Manatuto so that this programme can progress”. 

The Governor of Hunan Province, representing the Government of the People’s Republic of China, recalled that “cooperation between Hunan and Timor-Leste, especially with Manatuto, has been going on for 15 years” and emphasised the importance of this new agreement “to elevate cooperation for the future in the area of agriculture, to increase agricultural production and also support the local economy”.

The Administrator of the Municipality of Manatuto, Bernardo Lopes, said it was “a great honour to have the Governor of Hunan and his delegation in Manatuto to launch this cooperation”.  

Manatuto has excellent potential in agriculture, and the irrigation systems, one of the components of this programme, are crucial for its development, given that the lack of the Lacló River irrigation system, destroyed by the floods of 4 April 2021, has had a negative impact on the local community and has prevented the cultivation of this land. 

The ceremony to launch the agreement was attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, the Commander of the Timor-Leste National Police in the Municipality of Manatuto, the Chief of Staff of the Minister of State Administration, the Director of Agriculture of Manatuto, the President of the Veterans Council of the Municipality of Manatuto and the administrative structure of the municipality.