LÉRABA – On Saturday, August 24, 2024, Cascades Region Governor Badaboué Florent Bazié, alongside Regional Director of Agriculture Souobou Minyemba, conducted a detailed review of the development work on irrigated areas at the Sindou peaks site, as part of a broader agro-pastoral and fisheries offensive aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity in the area.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the visit was focused on assessing the Agricultural Resilience and Competitiveness Project (PRéCA), which has been instrumental in developing agricultural lands in Léraba. Out of 240 hectares designated for development, only 21% of the land has been developed so far, with 54% of the scheduled execution time already elapsed. In contrast, the wintering area shows a higher completion rate, with 218 hectares developed, accounting for 90.83% of the targeted area.

The project, supported by the Burkinabè government and the World Bank, has been pivotal in providing essential resources such as seeds, NPK and urea fertilizers, and organic manure to local producers. Currently, 1,033 women and 237 men are actively engaged in cultivating the Sindou peaks site, with an expected yield of 1,500 tonnes of rice by the end of the harvest season.

Challenges such as the silting of lowlands due to wild water influx have been noted by PRéCA branch head Athanase Ouédraogo and other agricultural experts, highlighting the need for adaptive strategies in managing the terrain. Governor Bazié expressed satisfaction with the progress but emphasized the importance of adapting to the site conditions and resuming development promptly after the wintering period.

Souobou Minyemba, the regional director in charge of Agriculture, urged producers to closely follow the guidance of technical advisors to ensure compliance with the technical production pathways, aiming to maximize the success of rice production in the Cascades region.