The Secretary General for Industry, Jean-Parfait Ntabala Murhandikire, officially launched the work on adopting standards for biofortified crops this Wednesday, April 9, 2025. The proceedings are taking place in the meeting room of the General Secretariat for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Kinshasa.
Products derived from biofortified crops are of paramount importance for human health. They help reduce, and even eliminate, deficiencies in zinc, iron, and vitamin A. To promote the nutritional benefits of these products for communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ministry of Industry and SME/SMI Development, through the National Standardization Committee (CNN), has established a technical commission. This commission primarily comprises stakeholders from the agriculture and nutrition sectors.
The mission of this commission is to draft three sets of standards for the following biofortified crops: Maize and rice enriched with zinc; Beans enriched with iron and zinc; Maize, sweet potato, and cassava enriched with provitamin A.
This work is part of the Multi-sectoral Nutrition and Health Project (PMNS), funded by the World Bank. In this context, the organization HarvestPlus has taken the initiative to collaborate with the National Standardization Committee to include the adoption of these standards in the official program of activities.
In his opening speech, Jean-Parfait Ntabala emphasized the importance of biofortification, particularly with the support of the Ministry of Industry, SME, and SMI Development.
He stated: « Biofortification encompasses all processes and methods aimed at increasing the density of vitamins and minerals in food, or reducing antinutritional factors, with the goal of improving the nutritional quality of the diet. It constitutes one of the main strategies to address low levels of zinc, iron, and vitamin A in cereals. It stands as one of the major alternatives to combat malnutrition caused by micronutrient deficiencies. »
Today, more than two billion people worldwide suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, which weakens their immune systems and leads to preventable health consequences such as blindness, stunted growth, as well as cognitive and physical impairments.
According to the World Health Organization, 61% of children under 5 years old in the DRC suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which can lead to visual impairment, increased vulnerability to infections like diarrhea, as well as poor health during pregnancy. Iron deficiency in the diet, on the other hand, is a major cause of anemia, which affects 65% of children under 5 years old, 46% of pregnant women, and 42% of non-pregnant women of childbearing age in the DRC.
On behalf of the National Standardization Committee, its president Jean-Parfait Ntabala welcomed the initiative of HarvestPlus and affirmed the CNN’s commitment to fully embrace this project for the benefit of a large segment of the Congolese population.
For the record, HarvestPlus is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that coordinates initiatives to combat malnutrition through the development and dissemination of nutrient-enriched agricultural varieties.
It should be noted that this work is expected to culminate this Friday, April 11, 2025, with the official adoption of the first national standards on biofortified crops, a significant first in the history of standardization in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Christiane EKAMBO
