Bilateral meeting with H.E. Rafaravavitafika Rasata, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Madagascar

Antananarivo - The FAO Director General met with Her Excellency Rafaravavitafika Rasata, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Madagascar during his official visit to the country.

The Minister welcomed the Director-General and thanked him for accepting the invitation to visit the country. She appreciated the strong collaboration between FAO and Madagascar and stated that the government was focused on achieving food security, in transforming the agrifood system, and to continue strengthening assistance to smallholder farmers through capacity building, setting up cooperatives, and improved management of food loss and waste by improving infrastructure. The Minister further informed that as 80 percent of the population lived in rural areas and relied on agriculture for their livelihood, it was pivotal for the government to strengthen the agriculture sector.

The Director-General indicated that to ensure growth of the sector through commerce, it was important to first develop the needed infrastructure. He also noted that smallholder farmers needed capacity building, and that to achieve food security the government should consider assisting these farmers, as well as rural farmers, with hybrid seeds and diversification of agricultural products.

The pair agreed to continue working together in support of Madagascar’s agrifood system transformation and for the implementation of relevant projects aimed at developing the agriculture sector in the country.