2023-05-31 22:01:50
In the DRC, agribusiness interests more and more young people. Some engage in agriculture, others in processing. But all complain regarding the lack of support from the Congolese state. And it is precisely for this reason that the AgriTour, Agriculture and Tourism forum organized its 6th edition last month in Lubumbashi, which brought together some fifty young entrepreneurs and government representatives. In addition to the discussions, the young entrepreneurs were treated to an exhibition space for their products.
From our correspondent in Lubumbashi,
Tendresse Ngoy produces starch, gluten extracted from wheat and soursop wine in Lubumbashi. But its production is still rudimentary due to a lack of funding. “ We have a problem with raw materials, everything is imported and it is very expensive. Like there I have a soursop wine and the bottle costs 10 dollars. 0n has trouble finding packaging. We mix up the packaging… For example, we take yogurt, we put it in a bottle of oil, you see! »
For his part, David Kondo raises broiler chickens in Lubumbashi. A few months ago, he imported feed for his poultry and this represented 60% of his production cost. Now he makes it himself. ” I started making food from local ingredients such as corn bran, fry flour, embers too. We have a small production capacity. Per day we produce 800 kg “, he announces.
The challenge of access to land
These entrepreneurs have another challenge to take up, that of access to land when the DRC has more than 800 million hectares of arable land. However, some businessmen monopolize these lands without exploiting them.
« You will find a person who has 100 hectares, but has not even exploited 3 hectares », explains André Muliro, the initiator of the AgriTour forum. ” We are pleading for that, we want to have access to land, to financing so that we can develop green entrepreneurship as they say.. »
Young people seeking government support
All these young people deplore the lack of support from the government to succeed in their business. However, the Ministry of Agriculture has been developing the youth entrepreneurship project in agriculture and agribusiness, PEJAB, for 4 years and targets 6,000 young entrepreneurs. Richard Kialungila, national coordinator of the project, talks regarding the eligibility criteria.
« They must submit applications, be selected, enter an incubation center for technical, managerial and financial education training “, enumerates Richard Kialungila. “ After that, set up a bankable business plan. And these business plans will be transmitted to the coordination of the project which, in turn, will transmit them to the commercial banks partners for a possible financing. »
For the time being, no young entrepreneur in the sector has yet benefited from financing. The process is underway, says the project coordinator.
1685604413
#DRC #emergence #youth #agricultural #entrepreneurship #real #challenge
