Kinshasa, July 23rd, 2026 (CPA).- The agricultural research has been considered on Thursday as the cornerstone of agricultural production by a researcher speaking at the second day of the Festival of Mother Tongues and Agricultural Diplomacy, which is being held in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
« The agricultural research remains the cornerstone of agricultural production, particularly through the development of new varieties, the production of foundation seed and collaboration with the National Seed Service (Senasem), the FAO, as well as agricultural extension workers, to ensure that innovations are disseminated to farmers,” has declared Daniel Dibwe, researcher and director of monitoring and evaluation at the National Institute for Agricultural Study and Research (Inera). “Our independence must come from agriculture, even though many people believe that it is minerals that are the source of our country’s wealth. Developing a new variety can take seven to ten years, or even longer, before it is introduced into the production chain,” he has added.
He has explained that INERA is shifting its research towards bio fortification, particularly for the improvement of nutrition, resilience to climate change and sustainable soil management. He has, on this occasion, asked Congolese farmers to set aside certain misconceptions about soil fertility, reminding them that soils in tropical areas require analysis and sustainable fertilisation in order to improve agricultural yields in the long term and promote market-oriented agriculture. Furthermore, he has also indicated that INERA produces only the first generations of seeds, namely pre-basic and basic seed stocks, whilst their large-scale propagation is carried out by seed multipliers and the private sector, in accordance with quality standards. Established in 1933 under the name Ineac (National Institute for Agronomic Research in the Belgian Congo) before becoming Inera in 1978, this public institution conducts research to support several sectors, notably agriculture, livestock farming, fisheries, the environment and health, through 18 research programmes designed to strengthen food security and producers’ incomes. CPA/