Burkina Faso : President Ibrahim Traoré’s vision of food self-sufficiency takes shape with harvests at the Bagré growth hub
On Saturday, January 6, 2024, the Minister of State, Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts, and Tourism, Jean Emmanuel OUEDRAOGO, accompanied by other government members, visited the Bagré Growth Pole to harvest the fruits of their agricultural work. This initiative realizes President Ibrahim Traoré’s vision for food self-sufficiency, a major goal of the Transition.
At the National Agency for the Valorization of Research and Innovation Results (ANVAR) site, Minister Jean Emmanuel OUEDRAOGO personally cultivated the KBR 24 rice variety in his cultivated field. The technician in charge of field monitoring, Lévi RIBOU, a student in Agro-food, estimated the yield of this variety at 8 tons per hectare over a period of 110 days.
The Minister of State expressed satisfaction with the work done on the cultivated plain, emphasizing the importance of food self-sufficiency in the priorities of the Transition. He announced his intention to distribute part of his harvest free of charge to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the region, acknowledging their essential contribution to the success of this activity on the ground.
Jean Emmanuel OUEDRAOGO highlighted that the productions of government members serve as an example and an invitation to all Burkinabè. He urged the population to realize that domestic agricultural production can free them from external dependence.
The approach of government members goes beyond achieving food self-sufficiency; it also contributes to highlighting the results of research by Burkinabè scientists. Researchers and teacher-researchers actively work on the development of numerous varieties each year, some of which need to be approved to guarantee their quality and yield.
This harvest day at the Bagré Growth Pole symbolizes an unprecedented step toward realizing the presidential vision of food self-sufficiency. The concrete actions of government members demonstrate the importance of everyone’s involvement in building a Burkina Faso that is independent in terms of food.
