Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-04-11 02:45:00
|
|
| L’acte de don a été signé par Rafaravavitafika Rasata, ministre des Affaires étrangères, et Ji Ping, ambassadeur de Chine, sous l’égide du président Rajoelina. |
Saving the crops affected during the passage of cyclone Gamane is a priority. To this end, NPK fertilizers will be distributed to farmers starting next week, according to the President of the Republic.
It’s an emergency. This is the term used by Andry Rajoelina, President of the Republic, to talk about the actions to be taken to save the flooded or sand-affected crops following the passage of cyclone Gamane.
Also, during a ceremony held at the Iavoloha State Palace on Tuesday, the Head of State announced the distribution of NPK fertilizers to farmers in regions devastated by Gamane. The distribution is coordinated jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the National Bureau for Disaster Risk Management and Risk Reduction (BNGRC). It will start next week, according to the President’s words.
The ceremony involved the signing of an act of donation in the amount of 2,250,000 dollars for the supply of chemical fertilizers from China. “(…) to save this year’s production. We will be able to provide free fertilizer to farmers affected in the Diana, Sava, Ambatosoa, Analanjirofo regions,” said Andry Rajoelina. As an argument to emphasize the urgency of the situation, the Iavoloha tenant recalled the impact of cyclonic damage on agriculture.
Resilience
“(…) cyclone Gamane, in the north of the island, devastated more than 60,000 hectares [of rice fields],” recalls the Head of State. He also provided an indication of the fertilizer needs to help affected farmers save their crops. “(…) they need a minimum of 30 kilos per hectare,” he said. The President also emphasized the challenges of accessing agricultural inputs, including fertilizers, as the reason for low agricultural yields in Madagascar, especially in the rice sector.
“Currently, I would like to point out that Malagasy farmers only use 10 kilos [of fertilizer] per hectare due to lack of means and lack of availability of fertilizers,” explained the Iavoloha tenant. The goal of achieving food self-sufficiency, especially ending rice imports, was also reaffirmed during Tuesday’s ceremony. Similarly, the ambition to once again become the rice bowl of the Indian Ocean.
In addition to international support like the Chinese donation signed on Tuesday, Andry Rajoelina reiterated the state project to “set up fertilizer factories (…) in several regions. This is to facilitate the acquisition of fertilizers.” He added, “Our goal is to increase the yield of our rice production, which should increase from 5 to 6 tons per hectare instead of the current 2 to 3 tons per hectare.”
The idea of strengthening agricultural yield is also to boost the resilience of farmers. And also, to consolidate national resilience in terms of food security, in the face of the pressure of increasingly frequent and violent climate changes,” said the President of the Republic.
Garry Fabrice Ranaivoson
Read the original article(French) on lexpress.mg
