The article that I am offering you today focuses on the meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Office of Agricultural Products of Congo (ONAPAC) which was held on October 3, 2023 at the Maiko Room of the hotel Memling. This meeting, chaired by Me. Muke Mukengeshayi, PCA of ONAPAC, brought together the Director General, the Administrators and the Secretary General of the Board of Directors of the public establishment, as well as the Representative of the Minister of Agriculture.
The PCA Me. Muke Mukengeshayi began his speech by highlighting the challenges that ONAPAC is currently facing. He wanted to clarify the role of ONAPAC by specifying that it only deals with around twenty agricultural products intended for export, such as coffee, cocoa, rubber and vanilla. He also underlined that ONAPAC’s mission is to supervise planters, processing, storage and all transits, thus covering the entire production chain up to export. He emphasized the importance of product analysis to determine their quality and price in the international market.
However, Mr. Muke Mukengeshayi expressed the financial difficulties that ONAPAC is facing. On an annual budget of 15 million dollars, ONAPAC only manages to mobilize a fifth of this sum, or only 3 million dollars. This situation considerably limits the company’s operating capabilities, and employees’ salaries are not paid in full.
The PCA also warned of the delaying tactics of certain members of the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC) who seek to reduce the benefits of ONAPAC. He expressed his concern about these actions which could further compromise the situation of ONAPAC and requested the support of the Minister of Agriculture to counter these projects.
In conclusion, the meeting of the ONAPAC Board of Directors highlighted the challenges that the company faces in its mission of supervising agricultural products intended for export. The financial difficulties and delaying tactics of economic actors jeopardize the proper functioning of ONAPAC, thus highlighting the need to find solutions to ensure its development and sustainability in the agricultural sector.