ONAPAC Board of Directors Meeting in 2023 at the Memling Hotel
In the heart of the Maiko Room of the Memling Hotel, the second session of the meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Office of Agricultural Products of Congo (ONAPAC) for the year 2023 was held. Under the direction of Me. 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 of Directors as well as the Representative of the Minister of Agriculture.
Context and missions of ONAPAC
During his speech to media professionals, the PCA Me. Muke Mukengeshayi underlined the particular context of this meeting and the missions entrusted to ONAPAC. He recalled that ONAPAC focuses on around twenty agricultural products intended for export, such as coffee, cocoa, rubber, cinchona, papaya, vanilla, pyrethrum and medicinal plants. He also highlighted the role of ONAPAC in supervising producers, processing, storage and management of the supply chain, from production to export. ONAPAC plays a crucial role in analyzing and determining the quality of agricultural products, while setting prices in the international market.
Major financial challenges
Despite the significant responsibilities incumbent upon ONAPAC, the PCA highlighted the financial difficulties facing the agency. Out of an annual budget of 15 million dollars, only 3 million are actually mobilized, or a fifth of the necessary resources. This situation seriously hampers the proper functioning of ONAPAC, and employees find themselves unable to receive their full salaries.
The challenges of the future
PCA Muke Mukengeshayi also drew attention to maneuvers aimed at limiting the benefits of ONAPAC, in particular by certain members of the Fédération des Entreprises du Congo (FEC). These attempts to reduce the share of service costs reserved for ONAPAC threaten the very survival of the agency, already facing major financial difficulties. The PCA therefore called on the Minister of Agriculture, José Mpanda, to support ONAPAC and to counter these projects which could be harmful to it.
In conclusion, the ONAPAC Board of Directors meeting was an opportunity to highlight the challenges and issues facing the agency. Despite financial difficulties, ONAPAC continues to play an essential role in supervising and promoting Congolese agricultural products on the international market. It is crucial that measures are taken to ensure the sustainability of this institution and enable its development for the benefit of farmers and the country’s economy.