Agricultural production: Benin safe from food shortages

By Metohuey Michael Adoglo

Benin’s agriculture is gradually taking off. Thanks to the measures taken by the government, significant progress has been made in terms of yield and the country is becoming food-secure.

The 2022-2023 agricultural season will be opened this April 28 –But until then, enormous efforts have been made by the government to raise Benin to the rank of Africa’s food-producing countries. At the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday 20 April, new measures to support production for the 2022-2023 agricultural season were taken in order to continue this momentum.

“Despite substantial efforts, fertilizer prices are still prohibitive and the threats to agricultural production are real. Consequently, State intervention is required to stabilize transfer prices at a sustainable level, in order to promote a successful agricultural season, particularly for food products. That is why the Council agreed to temporarily waive the State’s contribution to agricultural research and the agricultural promotion fee for the 2021-2022 season, representing support of 31.5 billion CFA francs,” the minutes of the Council of Ministers stated.

Gaston Dossouhoui, Minister of Agriculture, stresses that the effort of the State today is for the benefit of Beninese farmers.

According to him, to sell fertilizers at 14 thousand CFA francs per bag of 50 kg is to make the product economically accessible to the farmer and it is the fruit of the sweat of the Beninese taxpayer.

Regarding the rumor that Mali has stolen the leading position in cotton production from Benin, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries formally denies this.

“We are moving towards the end of the ginning process. Mali has already processed 760,000 tons and has declared itself to be the first in Africa. On April 19, we have received at the level of factories in Benin, 762 thousand 125 tons and there are in trucks parked, two tons 818 kg waiting, “says Gaston Dossouhoui who indicates that, in any case, it will be difficult for countries in the sub region to beat Benin too quickly.