Ouagadougou: As part of the presidential initiative, the regional directorate in charge of Agriculture of Hauts-Bassins , received 207 tons of rice on Thursday January 25, 2024 in Bobo-Dioulasso. Produced by producers in the region as part of the 2023-2025 agro-pastoral offensive, this rice was processed by local rice mills.

The cereal storage warehouse of the regional directorate in charge of Agriculture of Hauts-Bassins was once again supplied.

In fact, the said regional directorate received, on Thursday January 25, 2024, 207 tons of milled rice as part of the presidential initiative.

This quantity represents 33% of the quantity of rice that will be handed over to the authorities as part of this initiative, after a first delivery on December 27, 2023 which was 27%.

Produced by producers in the region and processed by local rice mills, this rice was presented in the presence of the special advisor to the President of Faso in charge of agricultural issues and food self-sufficiency, Abdouramane Konaté.

Ac
cording to the special advisor, this rice represents the second tranche of rice that should be delivered in place of subsidized fertilizers.

According to him, the same thing will be done for corn also to be able to store and distribute them according to the needs of the population.

‘Something will be done to address the difficulties faced by processors because the objective is to support the National Safety Stock Management Company (SONAGESS) ,in order to be able to remove the various stocks from the transformers, secure them to allow them to approach the off-season and the winter season,’ he indicated.

According to the executive director of the national office of major projects of Burkina, Dr Wendpenga Bruno Compaoré, this handover materializes the vision of the President of Faso and who, through the presidential initiative of agriculture in particular rice component wants to achieve food self-sufficiency of the Burkina Faso in terms of consumption of local rice.

According to him, the reception of this r
ice reflects the nationalist and patriotic commitment of the producers and processors of the region, he told the processors.

For him, this handover reflects the common commitment to sovereignty and endogenous development in the Hauts-Bassins region.

According to the representative of rice processors within the framework of the initiative for agriculture in the Hauts-Bassins, Seydou Konaté, the processors are delighted with this initiative and hope that it can continue.

‘Our machines are intended for rice production. So if an initiative comes to promote this production, we welcome it with joy, and we are committed to satisfying this presidential initiative in food self-sufficiency in rice,’ said the representative of the processors.

However, the transformers face some operational problems.

‘We need financial support, particularly to reach out to our producers. We need this support a lot, because we cannot operate without significant working capital in terms of rice,’ underlined Seydou Konaté.

Listening t
o him, processors are also faced with technical problems, notably machines to improve the quality of production in order to reach international standards for rice and be able to occupy an important place in the country

Source: Burkina Information Agency