Brazil, Japan Partner to Develop Mozambique Savannahs

Brazil and Japan will partner to help Mozambique develop its savannah regions into fertile land that can be used for farming, the African Press Agency reports. The two countries will support a project that aims to transform some 5.5 million hectares of savannahs into farmland. At present, Mozambique uses 2 million hectares of its savannahs for farming. The Japan International Cooperation Agency will finance the project with help from Brazil, which obtained similar assistance from Japan to develop grasslands to farms during the 1970s. The first phase of the project, which involves research, is expected to kick off in October 2010.