Congo in search of food self-sufficiency
Congo, a country of 5 million inhabitants, still largely depends on food imports to feed its population. Every year, food imports amount to nearly 700 billion CFA francs, or more than a billion euros. Despite its ambitions to achieve food self-sufficiency in the early 2000s, the country has still failed to achieve this goal, mainly due to lack of funding.
An aborted project
The New Agricultural Village of Nkouo, located about a hundred kilometers north of Brazzaville, is a striking example. Launched in 2010, this project brought together more than 700 farmers specializing in egg production. However, today there are only around forty of them left. Stendhal Koussala, one of the operators, expresses his bitterness: “We have been on this site for 13 years, but we have been abandoned for 8 years. Production is mediocre and negligible, only intended for the maintenance of the village. The village no longer produces as the State had wished. We simply maintain an image of a village producing table eggs.”
The difficulties of food self-sufficiency
Despite the numerous efforts made by the Congolese government to develop its 10 million hectares of arable land and achieve food self-sufficiency, many projects have been abandoned over the years, particularly due to the fall in oil prices. However, the New Agricultural Village of Nkouo managed to survive thanks to the Commercial Agriculture Development Project, financed by the World Bank.
A hope of recovery
Farmers in Nkouo, such as Bienvenu Mandilou, hope that the authorities will revive this agricultural village. Before the crisis, the village produced more than 666,000 eggs per month, but today production has fallen to just 96,000 monthly eggs. To revive agriculture in Congo, it is essential to sustain quality seed, operationalize the Agricultural Research Institute and strengthen the capacities of actors in the agricultural sector. Additionally, there is a need to mechanize agriculture and simplify financing for farmers. If these measures are put in place, food self-sufficiency could be within reach.
Hope also rests on financial support from Kuwaiti funds, the amount of which remains to be determined, to revive agricultural activities in Nkouo, particularly small-scale market gardening.
In conclusion, although Congo still has a way to go to achieve food self-sufficiency, we must not lose hope. With the right agricultural policies, adequate financial support and commitment from all stakeholders in the sector, the country can overcome obstacles to feed its population sustainably and reduce its dependence on food imports.