Cote d'Ivoire gov't committed to achieving food security: minister

Cote d'Ivoire government is committed to achieving food security, a minister said on Monday.

Animal Resources and Fisheries Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani said Cote d'Ivoire, which had witnessed growth in the agricultural sector in the last four years, had prioritized improvement of agricultural productions.

"With an annual production of 1.8 million tons of cocoa and over 500,000 tons of cashew nuts, Cote d'Ivoire is producing over 50 percent of the world's cocoa," Adjoumani said in Abidjan during the 29th regional conference of UN Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO),

The minister said partnership between the state and the private sector for improvement of the agriculture sector had become necessary after both parties realized that agriculture is a source of wealth and jobs.

FAO's regional representative in Africa Bukar Tijani recalled the vision of African presidents when they last met for a Heads of State Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, which aimed at eradicating hunger by 2025.

"The future is promising for the agricultural sector. But the challenge is how to move from subsistence farming to mechanized farming that is able to create jobs and wealth," Tijani said. Enditem