The Minister of State, Minister for Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries, Commander Ismaël SOMBIÉ, and the Minister for the Economy and Finance, Dr Aboubakar NACANABO, officially commissioned the Loumbila irrigation scheme, located within the seed farm, on 3 June 2026. This infrastructure expands the area of land developed as part of the national strategy to combat food insecurity and promote food sovereignty in Burkina Faso.
At a total cost of 1.6 billion CFA francs, the works have restored all the site’s water and agricultural infrastructure, thereby restoring the farm to full operational capacity for the production of high-quality certified seeds.
Covering an area of 60 hectares divided into 240 plots, the Loumbila irrigation scheme is equipped with various facilities, including a pumping station, a headrace canal, primary, secondary and tertiary canals, a water distribution and drainage network, as well as access roads and protective embankments.
According to the Minister of State, Commander Ismaël SOMBIÉ, the development of infrastructure must be accompanied by rigorous management to ensure its sustainability. In his view, achieving food security depends not only on greater availability of agricultural produce, but also on profitable farming that generates the resources needed to maintain the equipment.
Addressing the farmers, he urged them to farm the irrigation schemes with diligence, responsibility and discipline. He also emphasised the need for better organisation in the management of agricultural irrigation schemes. “These schemes must be regarded as true jewels, as they represent significant investments for the nation,” he stressed.
For his part, the Minister for the Economy and Finance, Dr Aboubakar NACANABO, pointed out that the Agri-Pastoral and Fisheries Initiative has been underway since 2023 and is already yielding encouraging results. According to him, the ambition is not limited to land development and water availability. It also relies on the production and provision of quality seeds. “If we do not have quality seeds, we cannot achieve good yields,” he emphasised.
The farmers present welcomed the flooding of the irrigation scheme, which will provide them with developed plots and high-quality seeds. They also reaffirmed their commitment to managing the site with diligence and discipline, in order to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure and contribute to food security in Burkina Faso.
Source : Minute.bf
