MAPUTO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch based brewery Heineken launched a 100 million U.S. dollar beer plant in Maputo on Monday.
Mozambican Minister of Industry and Trade Max Tonela, who led the launch of the first stone for the construction, said the project will boost the commercialization of locally produced products, generate jobs and improve the country's payment balance.
"One of the challenges we have is the commercialization of agriculture products, its acquisition either by the market or the industry. It is our pleasure to announce that in a short term the unity will be built and it plans to use locally grown products such as maize and cassava," said the minister.
The minister also said that the government is excited with the factory to be installed in the country because it will reduce the quantity in a large scale of the imported beer, which is highly consumed by the Mozambican people.
"This investment represents a contribution in saving our foreign exchange and will also boost the country's payment balance," said the Tonela.
According to the minister, more than 200 locals are going to be employed in the plant, which will produce 800,000 hectoliters of beer in the first quarter of 2019.
"The production line will be of Heineken's finest world class technology," said the Nuno Simes, the general director of Heineken in Mozambique.
The Dutch ambassador to Mozambique, Pascalle Grotenhuis also said that Mozambique will benefit from this investment, making the economy much more inclusive and sustainable.
