Rice imports increase
Madagascar imported nearly 365,000 tonnes of rice in the first half of 2022, an increase of almost 10% compared to the same period of 2021, according to the Malagasy Rice Observatory. Increase in imports stems from poor harvests in 2021, linked in particular to drought.
The terrible RN 5A finally passable
The 160 kilometers that separate Ambilobe (northwest of the Big Island) of Vohémar (northeast) have been a nightmare for bush taxi drivers and passengers for more than three decades. The RN 5A was just a rutted track where vehicles of all sizes had to deal with deep ruts and quagmires which made the route almost impassable during the rainy season..
The nightmare is over ! Early September, President Rajoelina inaugurated a ribbon of asphalt connecting the two cities in less than three hours. The rehabilitation work was financed by China to the tune of $157 million. Malagasy public opinion is now questioning the capacity of the State to maintain the structure.
A solar power plant for Vohémar
A photovoltaic plant with a power of one megawatt peak has been connected to the electricity network in Vohémar since the beginning of September, on the northeast coast. The installation was built by Green Energy Solutions Madagascar, which combines GreenYellow and Axian. It will soon be hybridized with a thermal power plant of 1,6 megawatt, all of which must meet 100% of the needs of the Vohémar agglomeration (250 000 habitants). Equivalent facilities should emerge in the region's two other major cities., Antalaha and Sambava.
The uncertain future of Air Madagascar
Rolland Ranjatoelina, Malagasy Minister of Transport and Meteorology, said he was “particularly concerned” by the situation of the national airline, early September. A few weeks earlier, this former general director of Air Madagascar had described the creation of the Madagascar Airlines entity as “a simple financial arrangement”., merger of Air Madagascar and its domestic subsidiary Tsaradia. To return to a normal existence, the company must notably pay a deposit of 5 million dollars to the International Air Transport Association (Iata) to become a member of the Billing and settlement plan again (BSP), the international compensation fund which allows plane tickets to be sold throughout the world through travel agencies. Crumbling under the weight of its debts, she doesn't seem to have the means.
