Lourenco was speaking on Saturday at an extraordinary meeting of the provincial government, chaired by President Armando Guebuza, in Chidenguele, in the district of Mandlakazi.
Gaza is the final stage in Guebuza's "open presidency" that, in the space of two months, has taken him to all eleven provinces, addressing dozens of meetings, and checking on implementation of the government's five year programme.
Lourenco put Gaza's total production in 2006 at 9,806 million meticais (about 378 million US dollars). In 2005, production was estimated at 6,451 million meticais.
The governor said this increase was due mainly to an increase in agricultural production. Rainfall was regular in the 2005/06 rainy season, whereas in the previous year Gaza had suffered from one of its regular droughts.
Targets were exceeded in 2006. Lourenco said the province produced about 612,000 tonnes of foodstuffs, against a target of 603,000 tonnes.
The irrigated area increased, thanks to the construction of nine small irrigation schemes in the province.
Before attending the meeting of the provincial government, Guebuza spoke at a rally in Chidenguele, where he delivered two tractors and sets of agricultural tools to Mandlakazi peasant farmers.
This equipment was purchased using some of the seven million meticais (about 280,000 US dollars) that the government allocated to each district in 2006. The money was supposed to promote activities to fight against hunger and unemployment.
Guebuza told his audience that the fight against poverty should be the task of all Mozambicans, but it could not be won overnight.
"The problems facing the people will be overcome gradually, and patience is needed", he said. "We have to have the courage to decide what we are going to solve first".
On Sunday morning, Guebuza visited the Mandlakazi village of Nwadjahane, the birthplace of Eduardo Mondlane, the founder and first president of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), generally regarded as the creator of Mozambican nationalism and the architect of national unity.
Guebuza greeted members of the Mondlane family, and visited the museum built at Nwadjahane in honour of Mondlane.
SOURCE: AIM
