Minister Tiaga defended a draft budget of FCFA over 39 billion before the Committee on Budget and Finance on Sunday November 29, 2015.

The Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA) will function with a budget of FCFA 39, 112, 554,000 if adopted by the National Assembly. The amount that will fund the ministry’s action programme for 2016-2018, was defended on Sunday November 29, 2015 by the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr. Taiga in the presence of the representative of the Vice Prime Minister, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the Assemblies, Jules Doret Ndongo and the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Finance, Paul Elung Che.

The proposed budget, which has witnessed an increase in absolute value of FCFA 7,400,588,000, compared 2015, is exclusively earmarked for the three-year Emergency Plan. According to the MINEPIA boss, four main programmes include the development of production and animal industries, fisheries, improving the quality of veterinary drugs and promoting veterinary profession, improving livestock health coverage and controlling zoonotic diseases as well as governance and institutional support in the livestock and fisheries sub-sector industries.

Within the framework of institutional support, the Minister cited the development of refrigerated slaughter houses in some regions as well as other production infrastructure. The Limbe Nautical and Fisheries Institute have also been earmarked to go operational in 2016. FCFA 2.5 billion would be transferred to local councils within the framework of decentralization to promote pastoral and fish farming activities.