Arrangements for the success of the crop season continue. In this context, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries went on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, to the Autonomous Port of Cotonou where he noted the arrival of 42,000 tons of inputs out of 270,000 orders.
Out of the 270,000 tonnes of inputs ordered, 242,000 have already arrived at the Autonomous Port of Cotonou. Indeed, for the next crop season, the government is working tirelessly to ensure what is needed for better productivity while making it easier for producers. This is all the more necessary in a world context of high cost with certain food crises in some places. With this in mind, the government of Benin has disbursed more than 50 billion FCFA to subsidize inputs for the benefit of peasants. The first part of the order, nearly 242,000 tonnes of Urea fertilizer, was received in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. “We have just noticed an unloading of 242,000 tons of Urea fertilizer,” stressed the minister, who said that on Thursday, June 9, “another ship comes with a cargo of 31,000 tons. In terms of fertilizers, Benin is in the process of obtaining all the quantities ordered. ” After reception, the distribution immediately follows because, “today, 36,000 tonnes are already distributed in stores on the national territory. Therefore, you shouldn’t worry. Now, our producers must be able to use them wisely,” said Gaston Cossi Dossouhoui, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAEP). Still on the arrival of ships and the quantity of fertilizer ordered by Benin, Serge Aderomou, Director General of the Cotton Development Corporation (SODECO) said: “We received five (5) NPK fertilizer ships for over 200,000 tons. Currently at the port, there is a 6th urea ship of nearly 42,000 tons being unloaded. The last ship is scheduled to dock this Thursday, June 09, 2022 with on board nearly 31,000 tons of Urea inputs. When this last ship arrives, we will have received all our fertilizer orders, which amount to nearly 270,000 tonnes. Fertilizers are distributed throughout the national territory according to the needs expressed by the zones. Inputs are available. I reassure the producers.” This means that Benin already has almost all of its orders, which is something to make the MAEP happy. In addition to this government order, private operators also have specific fertilizer stocks at their level, particularly for pineapple, cashew or other fertilizers in addition to the availability of other fertilizers produced locally in Benin. The country therefore had nothing to fear in that regard. As for the seeds, the minister also reassured us of the availability. “Seeds are available everywhere and we need to be able to put them in place. The plants are available at subsidized prices,” he said before urging to do as follows: “What remains is to work, produce in quality, produce in quantity to earn a lot of money. All those who are going to put themselves on the transformation chain will win. We must exploit the opportunity offered by the regional market to scale up the production capacity of cereals, roots and tubers at the level of my country.” Finally, he welcomed the good rainfall and the smooth running of the crop season, and expressed his faith in the farmers’ commitment to work towards achieving new records in various sectors.
