2024-03-05 23:30:41
Among the sectors put under the microscope during the Agricultural Show held last week in Paris, that of sheep. If sheep meat production is increasing around the world, this trend covers different realities. Declining in Europe and Oceania, it is booming in Africa: +19% for the continent.
In Ivory Coast, it is sometimes difficult to find mutton on the stalls. “ We cannot cover our needs in terms of animal proteins in terms of sheep, notes Dr Christian Alla, veterinarian and project coordinator at the Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources. Therefore, the ministry has established several structuring projects with the aim of improving this coverage of the need for sheep meat. »
Today, to cover its needs, Côte d’Ivoire imports sheep from Burkina Faso or Mali. « The first challenge is that of genetic improvement, continues Dr. Christian Alla. We have animal breeds that are not performing well enough. That is to say that carcass production is not sufficient, there is not enough meat. In Ivory Coast, we have breeds called Djallonke breeds, which are adapted to our climate. We therefore want to bring in high-performance breeds that we will cross with our local breeds so as to have high-performance sheep that are resistant to the climate that we have in Côte d’Ivoire. »
Develop the sector and create value
If certain continents produce mainly with a view to exporting, African production is currently trying to meet the ambitions of food sovereignty and local needs. “ Growth is internal in relation to a need to secure healthier, more local food, and in greater quantities. », analyzes Patrick Soury, president of the Inn’ovin organization. This by promoting the specificities of territories which are particular in Africaassures the specialist, while being “ in a logic of conservation of biodiversity, of the environment, producing without destroying, but more with local self-sufficiency “. The development potential is significant, he further details, particularly due to changing dietary habits and needs.
In this perspective, Togolese agronomist students in civic service in France come to look for ideas in mechanization, improving livestock feeding, or even veterinary care.
However, young people on the continent – just like Europeans – are deserting the agricultural sector. Hence the need to make the sector more attractive, believes Florence Afetor, this Togolese agronomist. “ I would say that we need to focus much more on transformation “, she says. Today, the sector has little “ added value “, she notes, “ but when you set up a processing industry and you market the meat already slaughtered, or the milk, or the cheese, or derived products, I believe that we can easily make a living from breeding. » According to specialists, the creation of value chains on the continent can also stimulate sheep farming.
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