Accra, June 25, GNA - Mr Andy Cook, a Consultant with the West Africa Trade Hub has recommended the improvement of small ruminant production to ensure food security in the sub-region.

He said this has become necessary due to the stagnation of livestock production in the sub-region.

Mr Cook was speaking at a two-day workshop in Accra organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (ATP).

Mr Cook explained that the current situation would have some implications on food security especially in food-insecure households and coastal urban markets dominated by imported meat.

The workshop organised for key stakeholders from Ghana, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire and the United States will discuss the potential implications of and USAID's perspective on continued support for the livestock/meat value chain.

It will also focus on the creation of livestock export opportunities as well as new opportunities for transporters and traders, the role of livestock breeding in promoting regional food security and the relationship between livestock breading, natural resources and ecosystems within the context of changing climate condition.

Mr Cook explained that meat was an important component of daily meals in West Africa and because of its high demand, particularly in the region's coastal countries, most coastal markets got flooded with meat imported from outside the region.

"While trade in live animals still dominates, there is the also an opportunity for the Sahel to supply good quality meat to coastal countries to compete with the large quantity of imported chilled and frozen meat, once barriers of trade are removed and issues of quality and competitiveness are addressed,' he said.

He said the issues of electricity cuts, poorly maintained cold rooms, unreliable sanitary control, reliance on public-sector support and unworthy refrigerated trucks with limited backhaul possibilities should be addressed with all seriousness to enhance high quality meat delivery; just-in-time deliveries of perishable commodity and sales in upmarket outlets to demanding clients.

Mr Cook called for a joint venture between Sahelian and coastal capital to facilitate businesses with standing high capitalisation and make bilateral trade work.

Mr Ismael Ouedraogo of the USAID ATP said the workshop was a regional initiative aimed at increasing the value and volume of intra-regional agricultural trade and food security in three value chains which were livestock/meat, maize/cereals and onion/shallot covering seven West African countries.

He said the workshop would have the findings and recommendations of a recent USAID West Africa Trade Hub study on transport and market logistics along key livestock trade corridors especially the Fada N'Gourma, Burkina Faso-Parakou, Benin route and the priorities of the regional livestock organisation COFENABVI and those of USAID bilateral missions.