Abidjan, 7 November – At a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Association of Natural Rubber Professionals of Cote d’Ivoire (APROMAC), Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production Minister Bruno Nabagne Kone announced a government strategy to increase value added in the nation’s rubber sector. The initiative focuses on expanding local processing, ensuring producers are central to the industry, renewing plantations, and achieving sustainability.
Kone said the country has been Africa’s largest natural rubber producer since 1990 and that the crop now exceeds cocoa as the largest agricultural export by volume. He added that more than 1.5 million Ivorian farmers depend on rubber cultivation for their livelihoods and that “the goal is to create wealth and jobs” through a more equitable distribution of value within the sector.
“The government has set a clear goal: to make our agriculture a driver of economic transformation, creating wealth and jobs,” Kone told the assembly.
He elaborated that improving the quality and traceability of rubber would allow Ivorian products to meet increasingly stringent international market requirements. The minister also called for the involvement of women and young people in all stages of processing and decision‑making.
To protect planters’ incomes, Kone urged stakeholders to comply with marketing regulations and price‑setting mechanisms. He emphasized that better remuneration and fairer value distribution would strengthen the industry’s resilience and foster sustainable development across rural communities.
The 50th anniversary event was held on 5–6 November as part of the national “Cote d’Ivoire Natural Rubber Days.” The second edition of the days included showcases of current rubber processing technologies and discussions on future investment opportunities. The ceremony’s highlight was the dedication of a new processing facility that will provide training and employment to local workers.
Through these measures, the Ivorian government hopes to move beyond exporting raw and semi‑processed rubber toward higher‑value manufacturing. The broader vision for the sector is to position Côte d’Ivoire as a global leader not only in rubber production but also in quality, sustainability, and innovation.
