Agricultural mechanization in Benin A total failure

Agriculture is the key of any development. This, President Boni Yayi so well included it that upon his arrival in the power in 2006, he decided to revolutionize the farming sector and as a result, the green revolution was born. It is indeed a question of mechanizing the agriculture by passing from the use of the archaic methods to the progressive introduction of machines in this business sector.

In this optics, a contract evaluated to billions of  Cfa was signed with an Indian company for the acquisition of certain agricultural machines such as : the towing,  plow, mower and other …

But after some weeks of use of these machines on the whole national territory, we realized that they were defective for the greater part. The premature degradation of these machines brought certain parliament members of the presidential sphere of influence, in particular honorable MPs Janvier Yahouédéhou, Denis Oba Tchabi and Benoît Dègla to make investigations on the file. From their report, it emerges that these machines are not new, but were relooked to be resold to Benin Republic. Furthermore, they consider that there was overcharging in this affair.

As to confuse these parliament members, the national manager of the project, André Okounlola made a media release. In his intervention, he explained that the amount registered on the invoice is not only the one of machines, but also that of their transport costs and the part of money allocated to the Indian technicians who have to stay in Benin to train the Beninese mechanics who could, in the long run, repair machines in case of breakdown. In spite of the explanations given by André Okounlola, the aforementioned members of parliament did not abdicate. They support obstinately that this file was enameled by irregularities.

Despite all this, the report is clear all the same on the ground. At the moment, the great majority of machines do not function any more. The farmers had to return to their ancient methods to cultivate their lands.

Any observation which brings to conclude that the mechanization of agriculture was a defeat for the Beninese State, the quality of the acquired machines for that purpose being very doubtful. Finally this revolution which created hope within the agricultural world will have lasted only some weeks with on arrival, billions of the Beninese taxpayers thrown by windows.