ONAPAC Board of Directors Meeting: A call for mobilization for Congolese agriculture
On October 3, 2023, the second session of the meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Office of Agricultural Products of Congo (ONAPAC) was held at the Memling Hotel. This meeting, led by Mr. Muke Mukengeshayi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ONAPAC, brought together the General Management of ONAPAC, the Administrators and the Secretary General of the Board of Directors, as well as the Representative of the Minister of agriculture.
During this meeting, Mr. Muke Mukengeshayi underlined the importance of ONAPAC in the development of Congolese agriculture. He recalled that ONAPAC focuses on around twenty agricultural products intended for export, such as coffee, cocoa, rubber, cinchona, papaya, vanilla and medicinal plants. He also underlined the role of ONAPAC in supervising planters, processing, storage and transits, as well as in analyzing the quality of products to determine their prices on the international market.
However, Mr. Muke Mukengeshayi also spoke of the financial difficulties encountered by ONAPAC. He revealed that out of an annual budget of $15 million, only $3 million is actually mobilized. This situation hampers the proper functioning of ONAPAC and prevents employees from receiving their salaries in full.
The ONAPAC PCA also alerted the country’s leaders to the delaying tactics of certain members of the Congo Business Federation (FEC). These economic actors contest ONAPAC’s service costs, believing that they are too high. Mr. Muke Mukengeshayi warned of the harmful consequences of this attitude on the future of ONAPAC and requested the support of the Minister of Agriculture, José Mpanda, to counter this project.
This meeting of the ONAPAC Board of Directors was therefore an opportunity to take stock of Congolese agriculture and to raise awareness among stakeholders of the importance of financially supporting ONAPAC to guarantee development and sustainability. of this vital sector for the country.