Maputo, Mozambique, 26 October 2010 – Brazilian company Suzano Paper and Cellulose is planning to produce pulp and paper in Mozambique, according to Sidone dos Santos, the national director of Mozambican Industry, as cited by Agencia Brasil.
Company representatives were in Mozambique earlier this month and visited possible sites for the project in Zambezia, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado provinces in the center and north of the country.
Suzano has yet to formally present any investment project, which Mozambican authorities hope will involve the whole production chain, from planting eucalyptus to final production of pulp and paper.
“We have a great need for such a factory in our country, but it should sell to us as well. We spend too much on imports,” dos Santos said.
Mozambique imports practically all the paper it consumes, from packages to toilet paper, newsprint, cardboard, and other cellulose derivatives.
Because the project involves the planting of eucalyptus and pine groves to supply the raw material for pulp, the project also requires approval by the Agriculture Ministry, which will analyze the initiative’s environmental impact.
Last March, Portugal’s Portucel/Soporcel company indicated that it aimed to invest USD 2.3 billion in Mozambique through 2025, with a planned paper mill to supply the Asian market and have a production capacity of 1 million metric tons per year.
Suzano Paper and Cellulose has five mills, all in Brazil, but is very active abroad. Sales to other markets accounted for 85.3% of the production of 1.6 million metric tons in 2009.
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