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Ph: DR: The ambitions of the Government for its agriculture
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries began, on Thursday April 13, 2023, his meetings to return to agricultural producers the decisions taken during the meeting with the Head of State on soybeans and cotton. Opportunity for producers to express their satisfaction with the measures taken by President Patrice TALON to save the soy industry.
Agricultural producers, especially soybeans, are in tune with the Head of State. Those of Nikki and Banikoara made this clear to Minister Gaston Cossi DOSSOUHOUI. On Tuesday April 11, 2023, Patrice TALON decided to set the purchase price of conventional soybeans at 270 FCFA, degraded soybeans at 250 FCFA and organic soybeans at 320 FCFA. This is to allow soybean growers to dispose of unsold stocks estimated at between 150,000 and 182,500 tons.
The producers of Nikki, Thursday 13 and their colleagues of Banikoara, Friday April 14, 2023, welcomed these measures of the Head of State and his Government in favor of soybean farmers. “It’s a great relief for us, because the money from soybeans makes it possible to quickly cover certain expenses, including the children’s schooling”. They also mobilized strongly to express their satisfaction to the President of the Republic, via his Minister in charge of Agriculture, Gaston Cossi DOSSOUHOUI. Opportunity for the Minister to make certain clarifications, in particular on the introduction of royalties on certain exportable agricultural productions.
“The caiman does not disturb its backwater. How many peasants sold their products and the government took taxes from them? Never. But to produce, you need fertilizer. Only, fertilizer is more and more expensive on the international market. If the fertilizer has to be transferred to the producers at the normal price, they cannot buy it. The Government subsidized the fertilizer to sell the bag at 14,000 FCFA instead of 28,000 FCFA. And this money, which was used to ensure this subsidy, was mobilized thanks to cotton growers, ginners and the Government. It cost at least 55 billion. For the next crop year, this would still be the case. Fertilizer is always expensive. But you have to find that money somewhere. This is what justifies the establishment of a mechanism to collect royalties on products exported and processed elsewhere. This benefits exporters and the countries where these products are processed, to the detriment of the brave Beninese producers and our country. The second reason for the establishment of royalties is that our products processed elsewhere create jobs and added value elsewhere. Who loses ? These are Beninese producers and Benin. It is said that we are waging war on soybeans for the benefit of cotton. But what many do not know is cotton, which generates more resources for public coffers. Several tens of billions. Better, we cannot encourage monoculture, because it is dangerous. Monoculture is a cancer for productivity and destroys the soil. Crop rotation is essential. So to say that we are waging war on soybeans for the benefit of cotton is wrong”.
The ambitions of the Government for its agriculture
Benin aims to become an agricultural power and is working to achieve it, explained Minister DOSSOUHOUI. “The Government aims for the next agricultural campaigns to produce at least one million tons of soybeans, one million tons of rice and one million tons of cotton. The Government will work for agricultural diversification. It will therefore facilitate production factors for producers, ie the provision of quality seeds and pesticides. The Government will continue to subsidize the acquisition of agricultural machinery in order to reduce hardship at work. The Government of Benin is working to make Benin an agricultural power. Then he works to set up agricultural industries in which productions will be transformed to create jobs and added value in our country”. For the Minister, the process is irreversible. The heading is given.
After Nikki and Banikoara, Gaston Cossi DOSSOUHOUI, accompanied, among others, by the presidents of soybean and cotton producers, will also meet producers from Tanguiéta, Djougou, Ouessè, Doumè and Djidja. The tour will end on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
