The Association for the Protection and Promotion of the Maad de Casamance Geographical Indication (APICMAC) held its general assembly for renewal. This provided an opportunity for stakeholders to review the sector's progress. They emphasized the urgent need to address challenges, particularly those related to processing. According to available data, only 4% of the Casamance Madd production is processed.

 

 

The Executive Director of the NGO ETDS, Pape Tahirou Kanouté, reports that this meeting follows the registration of the Casamance MAAD (Master's degree in Applied Foreign Languages) in geographical education. A positive step in promoting the field.

"Senegal has obtained its first geographical indication through the Maad of Casamance. So just in relation to this objective, the association has achieved its goal with the support of its partners," said the Executive Director of ETDS.

Despite this major step forward, the issue of processing the product remains. Only 4% of the collected produce is processed. This is a challenge that must be addressed, according to Pape Tahirou Kanouté.

"There is a success here. Now, there are challenges. Everyone knows that we are at less than 4% transformation of Maad. On all products in Casamance, we are at less than 5%. So, this means that we need to increase production capacities, and we are also working on that, to increase the processing capacities of the actors, to allow them to meet this demand," Mr. Kanouté explained.

Beyond this challenge related to transformation, there are the environmental aspects.

"If the sector, in any case, is to continue to exist, there must be Maad in the forest. There must be Maad in the agroforestry plots," said the executive director of ETDS, Pape Tahirou Kanouté.

For him, this environmental aspect requires raising awareness and training harvesters on good practices.

"We need to raise awareness about bushfires, because there are many bushfires that destroy the forest, and when the forest is destroyed, the Maad is threatened. So training harvesters on good practices, not cutting the liana, harvesting mature Maad, all these issues are being addressed today, but must be consolidated through the support of technical services," said ETDS Executive Director Pape Tahirou Kanouté.

 

Casimir Adrien Sambou, Regional Director of Rural Development (DRDR), stated that this meeting is of vital importance for the Maad sector, and believes that it is a sector to be protected.

"We must protect this sector because in Vision 2050, we want food sovereignty. Therefore, we must develop all agro-sylvo-pastoral and fishery sectors, especially Maad, which is developing well in the Casamance ecosystem," said Casimir Sambou.

The Regional Director of Rural Development recommends moving towards professionalizing the sector and developing all three links: production, processing, and marketing, including internal and external logistics.

For Casimir Adrien Sambou, it is necessary to go even towards mass selection to select the best growers of Maad.

The actors through this association must present a work plan, projects and initiatives to be supported by the State, in particular the relevant ministries.