Burkina Faso : Wheat Cultivation, a Winning Bet by President Ibrahim Traoré
Promoting intensive and sustainable agriculture has been a special mission for President Ibrahim Traoré. With the new agricultural policy, there’s a particular emphasis on wheat cultivation, which was once deemed impossible according to narratives from Western wheat producers. It was a strategy to maintain market monopoly.
President Ibrahim Traoré, upon assuming power, prioritized agriculture, implementing a comprehensive agricultural policy aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on imports of certain commodities widely consumed by the population. Among these commodities, wheat holds a crucial position.
As early as March 2023, during the Burkinabe transition, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Resources, and Fisheries, a financing agreement was signed with the Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA) for wheat seed production. With a total cost of 113.2 million CFA francs, this agreement revitalized wheat production to reduce imports, covering almost all of the country’s consumption needs.
Currently, 50 varieties of soft wheat for bread making and 49 varieties of hard wheat for couscous making are being experimented on at an INERA site. Only five (05) of them are registered in the national catalog and promoted for cultivation.
The government’s objective is to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat flour to meet the growing consumer demand. Today, this is a successful gamble. President Ibrahim Traoré and his government, by taking this initiative, have overcome numerous constraints to achieve this very satisfactory result. The glass ceiling has been shattered; no one will claim anymore that wheat is uncultivable in Burkina Faso.
It’s worth noting that an area of over 100 hectares is being experimented with this season for wheat cultivation in Bagré, the results of which vindicate the initiators.
