Burkina - Livestock: The Livestock Resilience and Competitiveness Project (PRECEL) officially launched for a 6-year period

On Friday February 23, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries launched the Livestock Resilience and Competitiveness Project (PRECEL) in Banakélédega in the commune of Bama.

PRECEL aims to improve the productivity, marketing and resilience of the main sedentary livestock production systems for targeted beneficiaries in the intervention zones.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been facing a triple exacerbated security, health and humanitarian crisis that has caused large numbers of internally displaced persons. This triple crisis has created an unprecedented situation heavily impacting people's livelihoods, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities, and natural risks induced by climate change. Livestock farming is a key sub-sector of Burkina Faso's economy, practiced by over 80% of the population. It accounts for over a third of Burkina Faso's agricultural GDP. This sub-sector represents a major lever in the fight against poverty and food insecurity, job creation and climate change.

However, numerous constraints still limit its development. These include weak political, institutional and technical support for the sub-sector; low species productivity; low competitiveness due to inadequate support facilities and infrastructure; and the lack of a sustainable agricultural sector.These include weak political, institutional and technical support for the sub-sector; low species productivity; low competitiveness due to inadequate equipment and support infrastructure, and difficulties in accessing financing; land tenure insecurity and farmer/herder conflicts; gender inequalities, etc.

The government of Burkina Faso, with the support of the World Bank, has implemented several operations to improve the development of the livestock sector in Burkina Faso. However, a number of challenges remain with regard to improving the competitiveness and resilience of the livestock sub-sector, particularly in sedentary systems.

PRECEL therefore aims to meet these challenges by stimulating livestock productivity, broadening market access and strengthening the competitiveness of the livestock sub-sector.market access and strengthening the resilience of sedentary systems in livestock value chains.

Once implemented, the project should increase the productivity of animal species in the targeted production systems: carcass weight in kilograms of cattle (20%), sheep (20%), goats (15%); liters of milk produced per cow and per year (20%); increased sales volume of targeted commodities of milk (50%), meat (50%) and eggs (80%); increased productivity of livestock species in targeted production systems.uits (80%); the adoption of good animal husbandry practices by 120,000 producers; support for 80,000 vulnerable breeders, including 40,000 internally displaced persons.

According to the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries, Major Ismaël Sombié, speaking on behalf of the Minister Delegate in charge of Animal Resources, Dr Amadou Dicko, PRECEL is a perfect response to the government's ambition to promote the development of livestock production.is perfectly in line with the government's ambition to "sustainably develop a productive, resilient and more market-oriented agro-sylvo-pastoral, wildlife and fisheries sector". In his view, it is a powerful tool for achieving food sovereignty and creating decent jobs for young people and women.
The overall cost of PRECEL is 120,598,617,000 CFA francs, co-financed by the State with a contribution of 5,085,431,000 CFA francs, the World Bank (IDA) with 92,745,451,000 CFA francs (77% of the overall cost), and the remainder by partner financial institutions and beneficiaries.

Minister Sombié invited the beneficiary populations, rural development stakeholders, and communal, provincial and regional authorities to become truly involved in the success of this project.He also invited the producers to ensure effective and efficient management of the actions that will be carried out, and to organize themselves with the support and advice of the competent structures, to enhance and improve their production. He also called on the contractors to respect their commitments.

Finally, on behalf of the government and the beneficiary populations, he renewed their deep gratitude to the World Bank for its constant support, which has enabled the official launch of PRECEL activities.

For Soumaïla Bitibaly, PRECEL coordinator, the project should, by its end, contribute enormously to achieving the objectives of the action plan for stabilization and development, in terms of Axis 4 and objective 4.1 of the government, which is to promote decent employment and boost the sylvoagro-pastoral and halieutic sector, and the sectoral plan of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal and Halieutic Resources, which is also to boost the sylvoagro-pastoral offensive 2023 2025.

PRECEL will operate in all 13 regions of Burkina Faso over a 6-year period from 2023-2029.
To achieve its objectives, PRECEL is structured around four components: enabling environment and support services for livestock promotion; development of climate-smart livestock infrastructure and value chains; project coordination and management; and component 4, emergency response.

Source: /lefaso.net/