The Agriculture and Animal Resources Fair (SARA) 2019 closed its doors yesterday in Abidjan en Côte
of ivory. A first assessment was made during the closing ceremony chaired by the Prime Minister,
Amadou Gon. Some 360,000 visitors came to SARA, an increase of 20% compared to
2017, 29 countries were represented with France as the country of honor and 586 companies and
organizations present. Some 21 foreign delegations visited SARA as well as thirteen
ministers. In addition, "more than FCFA 238 billion (€363 million) are projected in terms of
of investments for the years to come against FCFA 140 billion, during the 2017 edition" indicated the
Prime Minister. He reiterated the government's desire to further process raw materials
agriculture, be it cocoa , cotton , cashew nuts, rubber or palm oil.
Attiéké and loincloths soon to be recognized as protected geographical indications
During SARA, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Souleymane Diarrassouba, launched the process of
labeling of attiéké des Lagunes and Baoulé loincloths as Protected Geographical Indications (PGI).
The PGI confirms the quality and authenticity of the product which often induces a higher price. Eight products in
Côte d'Ivoire are in the process of being certified. At attiéké and Baoulé loincloth, pilot products of this process,
will then be joined by pottery from Katiola, cocoa from Soubré, artisanal cloth from Korhogo, rice and
coffee from the mountains of Man, and the Kenth mango from Korhogo.

Biosave, winner of the Agreen Start-up hackathonThe first Agreen Start-up hackathon was launched during
this fifth edition of SARA where 19 projects were in competition. The first prize in the category
confirmed start-up was awarded to BioSave which, via a multi-dialect application, allows farmers to
make their fertilizer. The second went to Atre Marché, a food ordering application and the
third in Reca, a remote advice application for farmers. In the start-up category
beginner, the first prize was awarded to Agritech, a confirmed irrigation system, the second to Agri
Banana, a solution for producing biodegradable bags from the trunks of banana trees and the third to
Pep ivory an exotic fruit growing solution.
Some spin-off examples, particularly in cashew
The Cotton and Cashew Council and the Italian company specializing in the fruit trade in
coque Forlivese have entered into a partnership agreement for the purchase of cashew kernels and in the long term, the
processing in Côte d'Ivoire of raw cashew nuts. With the Ministry of Agriculture and
rural development, the South African company Global Africa Integrated Farm has entered into a
public-private partnership (PPP) within the framework of the Tiébissou integrated agricultural program (PAIT).
On the institutional side, the FAO signed an agreement of FCFA 237 billion with the Ivorian government to
finance the activities of 60 young people and 100 women from rural areas and professionalize them. Trade
Equitable France, AVSF with their West African partners and the French Development Agency
(AFD) have launched the second phase of the 2019-2023 EQUITY Program for an amount of €11.5 euros in order to
boost the fair trade sectors of cocoa , shea, cashew, fruit and crafts in six countries
from West Africa (Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Togo and Benin). France, which also has
signed several strategic cooperation partnerships in agricultural education and the structuring of
quality, traced and sustainable sectors (Read: SARA 2019: France in the spotlight).