Event: Olmix Algae Symposium: aquaculture for the Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast is emerging from a decade-long crisis to find that it needs development at all levels of agriculture and aquaculture production and output.

That was the message an eight-member governmental delegation from the Ivory Coast brought to the 1st Olmix one-day international symposium on 'Algae - The Blue Revolution for a Sustainable Chemistry' held in Pontivy, France, that attracted 350-plus delegates.

"During the time of crisis over the past 10 years we experienced a total disaster in our food production. We now have to re-launch our agriculture and aquaculture businesses," says  Kouassi Adjoumani Kobenan, Minister of Animal Resources who was at the symposium with his executive secretary at the Ministry of Livelihood and Fisheries, Professor Jacques Datte. Dr Datte is also the secretary for CARF - the Committee of the French Regime Administration in Abidjan, the country's political centre.

Kouassi Adjoumani Kobenan, Minister of Animal Resources, Ivory Coast

"We have a responsibility to the growing population of our country and region to provide safe and affordable food and to achieve that in as short a time from as possible we have to work with other countries," Mr Kobenan told International Aquafeed through an interpreter.

"That's why we are here in Pontivy, to learn more about how to grow our milling and cattle industries and to bring about technology transfer," adds Professor Datte.

Mr Kobenan said the Ivory Coast was looking to develop it's aquaculture potential as it had significant fresh water resources as well as 600-plus kilometres of suitable coastline.

"We are open to all investors, particularly in terms of finance and technology. We have to get going as quickly as possible," he adds.

He told IAF that his country currently produces just 5000 tonnes of formulated fish feeds and 2500 tonnes of farmed fish. "We need  to be producing 500,000 tonnes of fish feeds to grow the fish we require."

If fish feeds can't be produced locally then they will have to be imported, he adds. And that was why his delegation accepted the invitation to the 1st Olmix Algae Symposium; to learn mores about a feed ingredient from Olmix that was already having a beneficial impact on fish farming.

"We value the ingredients and feed products from Olmix as they improve productivity.

However, he adds, that everything from the growing of corn and soybeans, through  infrastructure issue to production and processing units, including flour mills, and even livestock species such as chicken, were needed.

"We also have a requirement for knowledge and training," he concluded.

Minister Kobenan and his team participated in a trade discussions with many local agricultural and aquaculture business leaders, from dairy organisations to chicken producers and slaughterhouse owners, to try to evaluate how Britainy businesses might be able to advise and assist the Ivory Coast government, following a press conference preceding the opening the the symposium proper.
The Olmix Symposium was held on the day preceeding the national agriculture exhibition Space, in Rennes, to which many of the delegates were planning to attend.


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