FAO Director-General visits Mauritania's National Centre for Desert Locust Control

Nouakchott — The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, visited Mauritania's National Centre for Desert Locust Control today as part of a two-day visit to the northwestern African country. 

The Director-General was accompanied by Mauritania's Minister of Agriculture, His Excellency Umm Ould Bibateh, who underscored the importance of the visit in opening up promising horizons in the longstanding cooperation between Mauritania and FAO.

The Minister also expressed his appreciation for FAO's support in helping his country achieve food self-sufficiency and for their existing partnerships, especially in plant protection and pest control.

The Director-General praised the National Locust Control Centre (CNLA) for its exceptional capability to contain desert locust invasions, stressing that FAO will continue supporting the country's efforts to protect rural livelihoods and food security in the region.

Mauritania has been facing frequent invasions of desert locusts, with the most notable incidents occurring in 1987, 1989, 2003 and 2005. The country is now taking steps to prevent such invasions by developing an early warning system with other countries in the region. The plan is to monitor and detect the presence of locusts and take the necessary measures to prevent them from spreading, the Minister said.

Discussing Mauritania's agrifood system more broadly, Qu pointed to its significant agricultural and pastoral capacities, as well as its potential for transforming arid land into green spaces by choosing the right crops and developing production methods that are adapted to the local environment.

The visit was also attended by Ahmed Ould El Hajj, Advisor to the Prime Minister in charge of the agriculture and animal development sectors, and senior officials from the Office of the Minister of Agriculture.