Benin's agriculture sector contributed 1.47 percent to national economic growth in 2019, reveals the agricultural sector performance report, Gestion 2019, received by Xinhua in Cotonou on Sunday.

According to this report prepared by the Beninese Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, still in 2019, the agricultural sector contributed, among other things, about 28% to GDP, an increase in food production and export crops such as cashew, cotton, soya and shea, and finally to a significant reduction in the prevalence rate of chronic malnutrition among children under 5, which stands at 32%.

"The year 2019 was also marked by generous rainfall for crops, but which unfortunately caused flooding and the loss of 5,000 ha of crops, a loss estimated at 53 billion CFA francs", adds the same source.

In addition, Benin's agricultural productive sector is characterized by the predominance of small farms and its vulnerability to climate variability and extreme weather events, the report notes.