The governor of Angola’s Cuanza-Norte province, João Diogo GasparRio Times | 19 February 2026
Angola opens its farmland. Brazil and China are racing in
By Samuel Ncube
Key Points
— Angola is granting roughly 60,000 hectares to Brazilian farmers in Cuanza-Norte province as part of a $120 million cooperation deal backed by BNDES, Banco do Brasil, and Angola’s sovereign wealth fund — more than 30 Brazilian agribusiness companies have already signed up
— China’s state-owned CITIC is running a parallel program targeting 100,000 hectares with $250 million in investment over five years, focused on soy and corn exports back to China — a strategic food security play rather than technology transfer
— Angola has 35 million hectares of arable land but cultivates only about 15%, imports more than half its food, and feeds just 37% of domestic demand from local production — making it one of the world’s last untapped agricultural frontiers
The governor of Angola’s Cuanza-Norte province, João Diogo Gaspar, stood before a delegation of Brazilian businessmen and offered them 60,000 hectares of farmland. The deal is backed by $120 million in financing, with Brazil’s BNDES lending for the export of tractors and equipment, Banco do Brasil channeling funds through its export financing program, and Angola’s sovereign wealth fund contributing 17% of the total.
More than 30 Brazilian agribusiness companies have formalized their interest. Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro, who led a delegation to Angola in January, identified opportunities in corn, soy, cotton, beef, and pork. The model is built around technology transfer — bringing Brazil’s expertise in tropical agriculture to soil conditions strikingly similar to the Cerrado, the savanna biome that Brazilian research and investment transformed from wasteland into one of the world’s breadbaskets.
Two models, one prize
Brazil is not the only suitor. China’s state-owned CITIC conglomerate announced a parallel program targeting 100,000 hectares across Cuanza-Norte and Malanje provinces, with $250 million in investment over five years. CITIC has already acquired 8,000 hectares and begun clearing land, aiming for yields of 8 tons of corn and 5 tons of soy per hectare.
Angola Opens Its Farmland. Brazil and China Are Racing In
Angola Opens Its Farmland. Brazil and China Are Racing In. (Photo Internet reproduction)
The difference is strategic intent. Brazil’s approach is private-sector-led with government support, focused on selling equipment and expertise. China’s model is state-coordinated, integrated with infrastructure financing, and designed to secure grain supply — 60% of CITIC’s output is earmarked for export, primarily back to China. Beijing has spent two decades building Angola‘s roads, railways, and power plants through oil-backed credit lines. Agriculture extends that partnership into food security.
Why Angola needs both
Angola sits on 35 million hectares of arable land but cultivates roughly 15%. It imports more than half its food. Local production covers just 37% of domestic demand for a population of 37 million that the UN projects will double to 70 million by 2050.
Before the 1975–2002 civil war, Angola exported coffee, cotton, and bananas. That ended decades ago. The World Bank’s IFC has expressed interest in financing the Brazilian deal, and the Camabatela Plateau in Cuanza-Norte is considered one of Africa’s premier agricultural frontiers. Risks remain: weak infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty, and adapting foreign models to local conditions. But Angola’s arithmetic is simple — it cannot feed its people alone, and two agricultural heavyweights are offering to help on terms that serve different enough interests to coexist.