ONAPAC Board of Directors meeting at the Memling Hotel in October 2023
Officials of the National Office of Agricultural Products of Congo (ONAPAC) met on October 3, 2023 at the Memling Hotel for the second session of their annual meeting. Under the leadership of Mr. Muke Mukengeshayi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ONAPAC, this meeting brought together the Director General, the Administrators and the Secretary General of the Board, as well as the representative of the Minister of Agriculture.
The PCA, Me. Muke Mukengeshayi, took advantage of this opportunity to recall the role and missions of ONAPAC. He pointed out that ONAPAC mainly focuses on around twenty agricultural products for export, such as coffee, cocoa, rubber, cinchona, papaya, vanilla and medicinal plants. It is important to note that ONAPAC does not deal with all agricultural products, contrary to what many people think.
ONAPAC’s missions are to supervise planters, supervise processing, storage and transit, and provide expertise in analyzing the quality of agricultural products in order to set prices on the market. international.
However, despite these important responsibilities, ONAPAC faces enormous financial difficulties. The PCA revealed that out of an annual budget of 15 million dollars, only 3 million are actually mobilized, which represents only 20% of the budget. This situation hinders the smooth running of the company and affects employees’ salaries.
The PCA also alerted to the delaying maneuvers of certain members of the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC) who seek to reduce the advantages of ONAPAC, in particular the rate of service costs of 2% on agricultural products. He pleaded for the support of the Minister of Agriculture in order to counter these projects which could jeopardize the very existence of ONAPAC.
This meeting of the ONAPAC Board of Directors highlights the challenges facing the organization and highlights the importance of ensuring adequate financial resources to ensure its proper functioning. As a pillar of the export of Congolese agricultural products, ONAPAC plays a key role in the development of the country’s agricultural sector.