Tunisia tackles locust threat as Burkina Faso targets 60,000 t seed output

Tunisia’s agriculture minister Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh held a high‑level crisis meeting on 17 June 2026 with the FAO’s resident representative Nabil Assef and CLCPRO executive Lamine Hamouni. The participants reviewed recent swarms in the Sahel‑Sahara zone, mapped migration routes and assessed reproductive potential, while strengthening early‑warning and border‑surveillance systems to protect Tunisia’s food security.

In Burkina Faso, the Union of National Seed‑Producer Cooperatives (UNPS‑B) opened the third certified‑seed fair in Ouagadougou on 19 June 2026. Minister of State for Agriculture Ismaël Sombié announced the organisation’s aim to produce 60 000 t of certified improved seed for the 2026‑2027 campaign – a 250 % increase over the previous record of 24 000 t in 2025. The fair also launched an online platform allowing farmers to order seed and receive delivery within 24 hours, reinforcing the country’s push for agricultural self‑sufficiency.