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15,000 forest seedlings as part of the"1 day,5 million trees"operation

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July 25 - As part of the "1 day, 5 million trees" operation organized in Yamoussoukro by the Ministry of Water and Forests, Nestlé opens its experimental station to Mr. Alain Richard Donwahi, Minister of Water and Forests.

The Nestlé Abidjan Research and Development Center, through its experimental station in Zambakro, offers 15,000 forest seedlings to the Ministry of Water and Forests (MINEF) as part of the "1 day, 5 million trees" reforestation operation. .

This contribution is in line with Nestlé's commitment to fight deforestation. In 2017, Nestlé joined the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (ICF) to help end deforestation, in partnership with the governments of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and stakeholders in the cocoa and chocolate industry. . As part of the ICF, Nestlé will distribute 2,600,000 fruit and forest seedlings by 2022 to help restore forest cover in Côte d'Ivoire.

Built on 30 hectares of land 18 kilometers from Yamoussoukro, the Zambakro experimental station offers a technical-scientific platform complementary to the infrastructures of the Nestlé Abidjan Research and Development Center. This station contributes to the renewal of the Ivorian coffee and cocoa orchard, as well as to the improvement of the quality of life of rural populations, the popularization of varieties rich in nutrients.

The Minister of Water and Forests took advantage of his visit to the Nestlé experimental station to inquire about the various research programs on plants and agronomy, in particular work on somatic embryogenesis. This research work carried out in partnership with the National Agronomic Research Center (CNRA) will help improve the nutritional quality and productivity of cocoa, coffee and local crops.

At the end of the visit, Mr. Thomas CASO, Managing Director of Nestlé Côte d'Ivoire invited the Minister, Mr. Alain-Richard DONWAHI, to symbolically plant his tree on the Zambakro site.

“A few days ago, we signed an agreement with Nestlé which allocates significant funding to the restoration of the Cavally forest. Today we are satisfied with what we have seen and heard at the Zambakro Experimental Station. We hope that such practices can be popularized once the research is completed and approved. » Says Mr. Alain-Richard DONWAHI, Minister of Water and Forests.

As a reminder, on July 20, the Nestlé Group signed a protocol with MINEF financing the program for the preservation and rehabilitation of the Cavally forest for an amount of more than 1.5 billion CFA francs.

“We thank His Excellency the Minister for his interest and encouragement. We also applaud its One Day, 5 Million Tree program. We will continue to work with governments to help protect and restore forest reserves and improve the quality of life of communities, ” said Nestlé Côte’Ivoire Managing Director, Mr. Thomas CASO