The Beninese government has implemented a series of measures to benefit the agricultural sector.
According to Gaston Dossouhoui, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, these initiatives are expected to revive the upward trend in cotton and food crop production for the 2024-2025 agricultural campaign.
Minister Dossouhoui announced that the government has decided to support producers with a subsidy of 24.4 billion FCFA, which will subsidize the distribution of 123,100 tonnes of fertilizers, 90,000 tonnes of urea, and 59,400 tonnes of single superphosphate to the farmers.
In addition to this subsidy, the government has also set up a two billion FCFA fund to improve farmers' access to seeds.
Furthermore, in the livestock and fisheries sub-sectors, the government plans to provide additional subsidies, seeds, and vaccines, the minister detailed.
"By the end of the 2024-2025 agricultural campaign, Benin should be able to return to the upward trend in the production of cotton and staple foods, particularly maize," emphasized Dossouhoui.
The government's goal is to reach at least 2.5 million tonnes of maize by the end of the 2024-2025 agricultural campaign, up from 1.8 million tonnes in the 2023-2024 season.
