World Bank Delegation Visits Kitoko Food Farm

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, April 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

A delegation from the World Bank visited Kitoko Food Farm on Friday, April 26, to learn more about the Fleurette Group's innovative agriculture project to address the country's chronic food shortages and advance its agricultural and economic development by equipping Congolese with the tools and skills needed to become self-sufficent in food production.

Comprised of staff from the World Bank's DRC country office, the delegation toured the 650-hectare (1600-acre) farm, which sits along the N'sele River some 50km (30 miles) outside of Kinshasa, the DRC capital. The delegation viewed Kitoko's 13-hectare's (32-acres) of vegetable and fruit crops currently under production, its greenhouses, state-of-the-art irrigation system and other aspects of the farm.

"We were delighted to show the World Bank our farm model in operation, introduce them to our first generation Congolese farm managers and show them exactly how Kitoko is working to support the commercial, social and economic development of the country and help the DRC to feed and sustain itself," said Mr. Gil Abrel, Kitoko Food Farm CEO. "We also discussed that while Kitoko is our current focus, our model can work in all of DRC's provinces."

Kitoko Food Farm, as a privately funded agriculture project, is the first of its kind in decades in the DRC to invest in high-tech vegetable and fruit production while simultaneously transferring skills to Congolese farmers and agronomists.

Mr. Dan Gertler is a Senior Advisor to the Fleurette Group, one of the largest private companies in the DRC with significant investment in diverse sectors, including natural resources, agriculture, technology and infrastructure development.  

Visit http://www.kitoko-food.com to learn more about Kitoko Food Farm. Watch our recently released film on YouTube, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

SOURCE Kitoko Food Farm