Gabon hopes to attain self food sufficiency by embarking on an ambitious agric program

Gabon is trying to revive its agricultural sector after been embroiled in an unprecedented economic crisis.

Gabon spends about 400 billion CFA francs a year on food imports,a shortfall for the economy.

And so, the government has decided to focus on an ambitious agricultural program based on four food crops banana,plantain, cassava, chilli and tomato, which will now be produced in industrial quantities.

“We recommend in this recovery plan to be able to reduce 75% of imports of products and foodstuffs by the year 2023. And this, on the animal production component and the plant production component”,said the Gabonese minister in charge of agriculture,Yves-Fernard Manfoumbi.

In a country where the production of staple crops is generally limited to smallholders, to achieve food self-sufficiency or to reduce import costs, a more inclusive government policy is desired by farmers.

‘‘Apart from this site, the Gabonese State has brought us drilling and training well seen through field supervisors’‘,a local farmer said.

Another said ‘‘all those who are already on this job must attract the youth too to get on this. But it is precisely when the state comes to support the subsidies of the cooperatives’‘.

Several infrastructure are under construction in the economic zone of Nkok, 21Km of Libreville to enhance the production of cocoa and rubber.

The cost of the five-year project is estimated at a little over € 91.8 million.