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Mohamed Ben Omar

Grioo: Is Mister the minister, which the food state of crisis which prevailed in the country?

Mohammed Ben Oumar: First of all, it should be noted that the media exaggeratedly enlarged the problem. Let us make a fast presentation of the country for good to impregnate context: Niger is a country continental, arid, semi-desert and tropical. It has a surface of 1,267 million km2. Therefore, the geography of the country is favourable with a recurring dryness. The Natives of Niger thus live with the daily newspaper precariousness, a hard climate which has biensur an impact on the life of the citizens. Every 10 years, Niger knows a great dryness and any dryness implies consequences on the life of the citizens. A succession of drynesses these last years had impacts on the ecosystem.

It is the case in 2004 when, a scarcity of precipitations in time and space was coupled with attacks acridiennes. Thus on October 17,2004, the first alarm was given by the president of the republic in front of the whole of the international givers members of the system of the United Nations (WFP, WHO, FAO, UNDP) during its displacements in area. The report drawn up by the president was simple: it is the end of the rains, few harvests thus probably we must expect a food crisis to come

On November 20,2004, the Prime Minister took over while always presenting in front of the international givers, the real deficit of production compared to consumption (223 000 tons of cereals). I point out that all that was presented in full period of preparation of the elections (October-November - December) where the political community and economic of the country had the eyes rivetted on the general elections. And after the general elections, the first point of the very first Council of Ministers was devoted to the food crisis.

The palate of the congresses of Niamey: site of the plays
© www.jeux2005.ne

All that to show you the constant mobilization of all the government native of Niger of the Prime Minister to the president of the republic. Since then and until on June 30, the government injected 42.000 tons of cereals at moderated price, that is to say the equivalent of an expenditure of 6,750 billion FCFA (since the bag of cereal 100kgs is bought 25.000-30 000 F/tonne with Niamey by the government to be sold 10.000 FCFA in area)

From May 28, and following the declaration of general policy of the Prime Minister to the French National Assembly, the givers started to mobilize themselves. This mobilization became effective in July, at the moment when indignation gained the media and the international community. But at the last October 10, on 42 billion FCFA announced and promised by the international community, Niger received only 3,650 billion. The problem of the food crisis is more a problem of structural poverty. Hold, only 11% of surfaces are cultivable (on a surface of more than 1,2 million km2), the country knows one of the strongest rates of increase natural in the population (3,4%), PIB/tête is of less $1/jour, therefore the citizens are very poor. To cure this problem in a final way, it would be necessary to reconsider the problems of Agriculture in Niger

Niger

With what do allot you the international emotion then? Why the international community seized in July the problem Niger? Is this a deficit of communication of your share?

Certainly not. The international community underestimated the crisis and the cry of alarm launched by the authorities. A crisis which first of all strikes the most vulnerable fringes of the population (women, children) as you could note it on television.

It is particularly in the area of Maradi which is the center more populated. The government took besides measures to suppress this malnutrition which is due I initially recall it to poverty, and then considerations cultural as the early marriage. The area of Maradi is the area where there are the most early marriages, i.e. girls marry whereas they are hardly ten years old. In this context, their children are not always solid thus more vulnerable.

Thus we need much investment to modernize our agriculture in order to make it less dependent on the climatic risks.

It is necessary financings for us on own capital stocks because Niger has just profited from the initiative PPTE which allows him a substantial lightening of the service of its debt. Although there are constraints (released surplus must be devoted firstly to the sectors of Education and health rather than with the productive sectors), we have more margins to finance our agricultural modernization plan.

Hold, Niger has the livestock in (bovine) most important of the zone, but we remained about it with a contemplative breeding whereas we can supply all the zone. We must thus pass to a more intensive agriculture and a breeding.

Which are measurements which you took in this direction?

The government set up as from October 2005, a series of measurements:
- A plan of recovery of the grounds 2000ha/an /région. We have 8 areas. This plan will be financed by the state native of Niger and the international backers. It will in particular enable us to regulate the problem of unemployment partly, the more so as in addition the government envisages to employ 1000 young people /région/an on the sites for the recovery of the grounds and to make them cultivable. The finality of this plan is the total increase in the production by thanks to an increase in the cultivable grounds.

© www.jeux2005.ne

Which are the prospects for short-term harvest - next months -?

The rain season was excellent in all the areas of the country. No the attacks acridiennes. Harvests are abundant. Thus not of cloud at the horizon. The only problem is the malnutrition of the grandchildren which is to him a structural problem, daily as I explained it higher to you.

But how will you secure yourselves in the future one against these recurring crises and while waiting for that agriculture is restructured?

We took measures in all sovereignty to reconstitute the emergency food stock to 100.000 tons height. It is a stock which can cover a whole season. We have stores in the 36 departments of Niger which will be provided in stocks as soon as possible (as of this November) so that if necessary, we could provide the cereal bags at moderate price.

Then the Prime Minister signed recently in Saudi Arabia, a convention of financing for the realization of the dam Kandaji designed to start in January 2007. The project will allow a better irrigation of the grounds, as well as a better production of electricity. With this stopping, we will be able to regulate the problem of agriculture definitively.

To finish with this point, it seemed to us that there was a divergence between the president of the republic and the Prime Minister about the terminology to use to qualify the current situation which prevails? Which is the good version?

The president of the republic said that there is no famine but a food crisis. And I think that all the actors met on this qualification. Because a famine refers to deaths, with the people who emigrate their areas to move towards the cities and to form shantytowns. It is not the case of the current situation.

Procession of women peules of Niger at the time of a festival.
© www.jeux2005.ne/

Yes but isn't the fact more surprising simply a difference in terms, but rather than a divergence between the two principal characters of the state are revealed on the public place?

Not whole it is more the press which insisted on top. You know we are a really democratic country with a press very incisor, rather near to the opposition which does not hesitate to exploit that but there is no dichotomy at the top of the State. We agree all on the fact that it was about a food crisis.

Then the Plays of the Francophonie, we enter the last straight line. To remain in bond with the preceding article, some think that Niger cannot accomodate the plays whereas the country passes through a serious food crisis?

I remind to you that the plays were granted Niger in 1999 in Bamako. Thus it is an event which has been envisaged for more than six years. Secondly, whereas some affirmed that Niger was at the edge of the apocalypse, etc two ministers important in the French-speaking universe, the French and Canadian ministers went to Niamey and saw themselves the progress report of the preparations. They could noted that the food crisis did not block of anything the plays. On the contrary, the plays are for us, a platform which we intend to exploit to start again our economy, to make known our country outside, to sell our craft industry, to sell our heel. The plays for us are an advisability of accomodating more than 10.000 visitors with Niamey.

Statuettes of Niger
© www.jeux2005.ne

It is necessary to place them, nourish them, etc Donc it is an occasion for us to modernize all our infrastructures. The stage general Seyni Kountché, the sport hall, the village of the plays, roads, hotels, centers sociocultural, the complex Oumarou Ganda, etc. All these buildings were rehabilitated within the framework of the plays. Niamey will be the capital of the African western traditional fight. Thus all is ready for the opening of the on December 7 plays. I announce just to finish that laws were voted to allow the operators economic in the sector of tourism n the other hand to make investments for the modernization of their establishments of tax exemptions. Thus Niger counts enormously on these plays to cross an additional step. And you know, it is the first time that one organizes plays of the francophonie in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus it is an exciting challenge.

on the sedentary (Waka Snek insert: sedentary=ground) level, all is also fine loan? Niger knew in the past concern with the organizers of Paris Dakar about the safety of the people

It is an old problem which dates from the Nineties. There is no more rebellion in Niger. Safety is effective in the four corners of Niger. And then, it is Niamey which shelters the plays, therefore it does not have no problem absolutely there.

A crossroads of Niamey

To finish, which are the prospects for the country? There has been a new government for soon a year,

Stable, respectful country of the human rights, it is thus a democratic state. Niger is one of the rare countries of sub-Saharan Africa where the good governorship is truly anchored in manners. Unfortunately, the support of the international financial community is made wait. However the democracy rhyme not with poverty. It is necessary that poor countries like Niger, animated goodwill, and who made large efforts as we estimate to have made some, are constant in their anchoring towards democratization.

However what makes revolt the people, it is poverty, the hunger. If they are hungry, they do not have an ear, of scale of value.

And they will necessarily follow, all those which will be able to give them to eat or at the very least to promise it to them. However they is often as are born the integrisms, terrorism resulting from the frustrations accumulated with time. God thank you, Niger is a Moslem country certainly but it there not of militant Islam. It is a social and laic country.

Poverty it, is structural. Have a strategy of reduction of poverty (the SRP) but it we misses us just the financings to implement it and to leave the spectrum of poverty. Therefore we wish the contest of the international backers. Lastly, it is interesting to note that the heavy tendencies of the country are to be reversed spirit. The attack of initiative PPTE with the IMF enables us to profit from additional funds to allocate firstly in the sectors of Education and Health. But on the plan of the productive sectors, we reduced the tax environment, to clarify the code of the investments so that the country is more a pole of investments. For that, we identified some target sectors like transport, telecommunications (we have already 3 operators télécoms), the BTP or tourism. Do you know for example that we have the most beautiful desert of the world with Ténéré? Thus we wish to benefit from the plays, that we finance to a total value of 50%, in order to show all that at the international community.