Pretoria - Recognising that food security is one of the challenges facing the Southern African Development Community (SADC), President Jacob Zuma has called for more attention to be paid to agriculture.
In his opening remarks during the SA- Mozambican Heads of State Economic Bilateral Forum in Pretoria, Zuma said food security must be top priority.
Food security is currently one of government's key priorities. In South Africa alone, 2.2 million households are regarded as food insecure and vulnerable.
The forum co-chaired by Zuma and his counterpart Armando Emilio Guebuza will look at ways in which cooperation can be further strengthened, especially in agriculture, health, tourism, trade and investment, water, environment and energy.
Zuma was pleased with the progress achieved thus far in the two country's bilateral cooperation, particularly in areas of trade and investment, energy, cross border transportation and in tourism.
However, he also called for the fast tracking of the various agreements that the two countries have signed.
"We have a duty... to strengthen our economic relations by enhancing co-operation among our business people and increase trade and investment between our countries," said Zuma.
To date, the two countries have signed 57 agreements in various sectors, making Mozambique the number one country with which South Africa has entered into so many agreements.
Zuma said this was a reflective of South Africa's desire and determination to tackle the common challenges the two countries face.
A Heads of State Economic Bilateral Forum between South Africa and Mozambique was created in 1997 and meetings are held quarterly to ascertain progress in the implementation of milestone regional projects that they have undertaken.
