Ouagadougou: The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Agricultural Production and Food Self-Sufficiency, Dr. Abdourasmane K. KONAT‰, led a delegation of Special Advisors to the President of Faso to the fields of Diarradougou in the Houet province on June 28. They witnessed the first harvest of plantain in Burkina Faso.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Dr. KONAT‰ expressed satisfaction with the progress towards food security, highlighting that this plantain revival is part of President Captain Ibrahim TRAOR‰’s strategy to diversify agriculture and achieve self-sufficiency. The initiative provided over 70,000 plantain rejects to producers, along with capacity building, input support, and hydro-agricultural equipment.
In K©n©dougou province, producers planted 7,500 seedlings over 3.5 hectares, marking a successful experience. Ms. Sylvie KASSONGO, a producer in Diarradougou, reported yields of 30 to 35 tonnes per hectare. Mr. Ti©moko TRAOR‰, president of the K´da Naafa cooperative, projected that income from plantain would surpass that of sweet bananas.
The technical coordinator of the initiative declared this first effort a success, with aspirations for Burkina Faso to become a leading plantain producer. Dr. KONAT‰ aims to expand to 70 hectares in the upcoming rainy season and will reorganize producers to support them with seedlings and technical guidance.