AgriBusiness Forum: The DRC hopes to unlock its agricultural potential

With a territory four times the size of France, agricultural production potential capable of feeding a quarter of the world's population, climatic diversity, freshwater reserves and hydroelectric potential, it's clear that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has major assets.

But these assets pale into insignificance in the face of food insecurity. It affects 27 million people, and every year the country spends billions of dollars on food imports. 

So how can all this be resolved? That was the question being discussed at the AgriBusiness Forum in Kinshasa.

Agricultural growth is imperative. It is more effective in reducing poverty than growth in other sectors. This forum has therefore created an ecosystem around agriculture, including finance, industry, energy and infrastructure. 

The aim is to increase the number of initiatives to promote growth in the sector. The stakes are economic, social and environmental.

"We no longer have time to talk about potential. We urgently need to act," said Nicolas Kazadi, the Minister of Finance for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"Meeting the challenge of agriculture rests on three pillars. The first is infrastructure. The second is governance and the business environment, and the third is the question of the entrepreneurial culture of local people first, and then attracting foreigners. We need to do this because we have been relying for too long and too heavily on the mining sector, which will not last forever." 

"As far as agriculture is concerned, our prospects are eternal. So now - more than ever - is the time to take advantage of this strong situation in the mining sector to build something else, to diversify our economy by relying on our most reliable, most sustainable asset,