On the sidelines of the 76th United Nations session in New York, Mr. Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, was received in audience by the Honorable Jason Hafemeister, Deputy Undersecretary at the US Department of Agriculture, on Friday, September 24, 2021, in Washington DC.

At first glance, Minister of State Adjoumani welcomed the excellent relationships that exist between Côte d'Ivoire and the United States of America, resulting from the will of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara, to work continuously to strengthen cooperation between Côte d'Ivoire and the United States of America.

The Minister of State then presented the agricultural performance of Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in the cocoa and cashew sectors.

He also gave a presentation on the various measures taken by the Ivorian Government to reduce the impact of global warming on the performance of the agricultural sector. Namely the launch of the project to plant 10 million trees, due to one million trees per year, including in cocoa and cashew farms; the expulsion of producers illegally established in classified forests and their relocation through food production projects; and the vast reforestation project, undertaken by the Ivorian Ministry of Water and Forests, which also concerns the rehabilitation of classified forests.

Welcoming the progress made by the Ivorian government, the Undersecretary for Agriculture invited Côte d'Ivoire to join two initiatives launched by the United States.

The first initiative is the Agricultural Innovation Mission, whose aim is to promote the sharing of successful experiences through an international coalition of partner countries.

The objective of this mission is to bring together several countries around a platform in order to discuss innovative methods to reduce the effects of global warming, resulting from agriculture.

The second initiative aims to lead the debate in order to find and promote methods and models that promote an increase in agricultural production using as few inputs as possible, including land capital.

The United States recognizes the need to increase agricultural productivity in order to meet increasingly growing demand. However, in view of the challenges recorded, in particular global warming and food-related health problems, it seems urgent to “define new methods guaranteeing sustainable agricultural productivity”.

To conclude his remarks, the Honourable Hafemeister invited Côte d'Ivoire to join the two initiatives.

In response to these invitations, the Minister of State Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani indicated that these two initiatives are in line with the vision of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara, for Ivorian agriculture.

He thus, on behalf of the President of the Republic, responded positively to these invitations and pleaded for increased agricultural cooperation between the United States and Côte d'Ivoire.