The International Food Fair (Sial), which is held every two years in Paris, took place last week at the Villepinte exhibition center, north of the capital. Five days during which all the players in the agri-food sector came together to talk business, innovation or to think about solutions to problems in the sector. Out of 3,700 participants, only around sixty African countries were present. In Africa, the vast majority of agricultural jobs are held by women. And yet, few of them participate in events like Sial. But this year, a trend is emerging. Despite multiple difficulties such as access to land and financing, more and more women are taking up the challenge of agricultural entrepreneurship, a sector previously reserved for men.
It is a new generation of committed and highly motivated African women who are participating in Sial for the first time. Born in Congo, Sandrine Vasselin Kabonga left her job as a financial advisor around ten years ago to found Misao Spices, a company producing and distributing spices from Central Africa, and especially from Democratic Republic of Congo :
“ In the DRC, we do not have a professional spice production sector as they may exist in MadagascarZanzibar or Asia. So it’s really agroforestry. It’s working with local communities, farming communities, producers. We will pick, dry, do all the processing if I may say so locally, so create jobs around that. But we remain on the niche market, so really on quality products. »
Consumption patterns are changing…
Quality products are also what Lydia Mérouche wants to promote in her country. After having been a lawyer for several years, this Algerian founded Fossoul Agricol in 2016, a company specializing in the production of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables:
“ My presence today here at Sial represents my commitment to food, food in Algeriafood in Africa, and quite simply sustainable food. Because we know today that sustainable food is an environmental issue and a public health issue and our health depends on it. And health also depends on what’s on our plates. And that’s why, as a lawyer, I decided to put away my dress and put on my farming boots to campaign for healthy and sustainable agriculture in Algeria and Africa. »
… for a search for authentic quality
Jessica Allogo is another African entrepreneur present at Sial. This former engineer in the oil industry created Petits Pots de l’Ogooué eight years ago, an agri-food processing company in Gabon :
“ It’s true that the first years, it was difficult… Access to the market was not easy. But in eight years, I have seen the landscape change a lot, consumption patterns change. The African consumer today is really looking for more authentic products, local products that promote heritage, and there is also a real notion of solidarity, of supporting local entrepreneurs and ultimately participating in the economy and to support processors like us and, as a result, improve the living conditions of communities. »
Men or women, there is room for everyone in the agricultural sector. Jean-Luc Luboya Tshichimbi is a producer and exporter of fruits and vegetables in Kinshasa in the DRC. “ Our activities are more in fresh products, we have 30% of the local market in Kinshasa and we have 70% in exports. “, he explains.
An export rate which should increase, because this Congolese producer was able to sign new contracts during Sial.
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