Opening Speech by the Minister of Agriculture, Mali, Mr Aghatan Alhassane, at the 1st PASS Grantee Conference
The President of Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA),
Representative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
Representative of the Rockefeller foundation,
Representatives of national, regional and international organizations,
Representatives of technical services, NGOs, Farmer based organizations, seed companies, Honorable guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
It is a pleasure for me to chair the opening ceremony of the 1st International meeting of The Program of African Seed System (PASS) of The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), organized in collaboration with the Rural Economic Institute of Mali (IER). Your choice of Mali as the host country for this meeting honors us and we are grateful.
The opportunity to address you allows me to extend my sincere thanks to all the participants, who despite their many assignments, accepted to participate in this conference. To the participants from the 13 AGRA countries - Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia, I say welcome to Bamako. Your presence here shows the importance you accord to this program.
Ladies and Gentlemen: this meeting with the theme ‘the march towards a green revolution in Africa,’ gathers experts in seed production, researchers of national and international research institutions, seed companies, distributors of agricultural inputs, farmers and policy makers. During the last 15 years, the number of Africans living in the highest level of poverty has increased by 50 per cent, which is equivalent to at least 200 million people. Also, funds for African agricultural development have decreased during this period. Peoples’ reaction to the rising food prices has given rise to social crises in a number of African countries.
This is why the program you are working on is essential for Africa. It shows the rising interest in food security and offers the opportunity to overcome poverty and improve agricultural productivity and farmers’ welfare.
Through stronger partnerships in the society with policymakers and particularly heads of states, AGRA is convinced that the green revolution is also possible in Africa, just as it was in Asia and Latin America.
We share the same vision with AGRA because food security and poverty reduction are key government concerns in Mali.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Mali is working to achieve food security through the Project for Economic and Social Development (PESD), an initiative of the President, who considers agriculture the economic engine of the country. The objective of the project is to produce 10 million tonnes of cereal by 2012 through rice, maize and cotton. This initiative was launched by the Mali government in 2008. The green revolution in Africa is already in Mali.
The attainment of a green revolution is a challenge at different national levels. At the fundamental level it starts with the development of improved seeds for farmers to achieve high levels of production.
It also requires a good application of science through the engagement of well trained generations of African Breeders. And then it requires setting up a system of distributing improved seeds to farmers.
The collaboration between researchers, public and private sector, farmers, governments and the entire civil society is a domain in which we must invest.
Dear participants: This four-day meeting will help us on one hand to evaluate and document the progress of AGRA’s activities in the different countries. On the other hand, it will help all the actors working on the different areas to network in order to complete the value chain in an efficient manner and respond to the African farmers’ needs.
Ladies and Gentlemen: We welcome AGRA’s determination and commitment to agriculture, the reduction of poverty in Africa and its objective of producing around 400 improved varieties in ten years. This will lead to the use of improved varieties and ensure an increase of 50 per cent production in at least 20 countries in Africa.
The major progress achieved in our country during AGRA’s first year include; the training of researchers; development of improved and adapted varieties; the setting up of local private seed enterprises and the development of a local distributor network of agriculture inputs.
I hope that this conference will come up with an African frame work of facilitating action toward the improvement of seed systems.
Ladies and Gentlemen: I would like to assure you that the Malian government will support your endeavors to ensure success in the development of agriculture so as to reach food security and increase farmers’ incomes. I will encourage you to give your best towards the success of this project. I therefore declare “The First International Conference on PASS duly open”.
Thank you.
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About the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programmes develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain from seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education.
AGRA's Board of Directors is chaired by Kofi A Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr Namanga Ngongi, former Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, is AGRA's president. With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK's Department for International Development and other donors, AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa and maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana.