The Ivorian government on Friday in Abidjan signed an agreement with three groups involved in cocoa, rubber, palm oil, cotton and cashew production to access 75 billion CFA funding.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The agreement was signed by Cote d’Ivoire’s Agriculture Minister, Mr Coulibally Sangafowa, and representatives of the Council of Coffee and Cocoa, Association of Natural Rubber Manufacturers, and Palm Oil Producers Association.
Sangafowa said at the brief ceremony held at the ministry’s conference room that the funding was in line with the National Agricultural Investment Programme (NAIP).
He said that the NAIP was interested in boosting the production of cash crops such as cocoa, rubber, palm oil, cotton and cashew in the interest of the economy.
He said that the fund which would benefit some 120,000 farmers in the three groups was put together through a partnership.
“The government provided 7.875 billion CFA, the World Bank gave 25 billion CFA, the French Development Agency, 18.2 billion CFA, while beneficiary contribution amounts to 24.3 billion CFA,’’ he said.
The minister said that boosting agriculture was one of the programmes geared to achieve the government’s dream of making Cote d’Ivoire an emerging nation by 2020.
In his remark, the Director, French Development Agency for Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, Mr Bruno Leclerc, urged the benefiting groups to ensure judicious utilisation of the funds.
“I welcome the partnership between the government, donour agencies and farmers’ associations; if well utilised, this synergy will be highly beneficial,’’ he said.
Mr Honest Wadjas of the Council of Coffee and Cocoa, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries, promised that the funds would be put to good use in the interest of the sectors
