APA-Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) Nestlé Côte d'Ivoire, a subsidiary specializing in agribusiness, renewed Wednesday in Abidjan its partnership on agricultural research with the National Center for Agricultural Research (CNRA) to bring high-quality products to the market.

This partnership, existing since 2009, is renewed after 11 years of collaboration, in the scientific and technical framework for research on agricultural speculations falling within the "mission" of the firm.

"We have just signed a framework contract, the second, with the CNRA" which has been working very closely since 2009 with the Research and Development Center of Nestlé in Abidjan, said the CEO of Nestlé Côte d'Ivoire, Thomas Caso.

This new contract, initialled between the parties at the subsidiary's research center in Yopougon, west of Abidjan, should make it possible to 'explore and build on the work we have already carried out together on cocoa and coffee ', as well as other new channels, he added.

 In addition to coffee and cocoa, these two research structures should establish protocols to improve speculations such as cassava, beans, sorghum, millet, maize, used by the subsidiary, in order to obtain the best nutritional elements for consumers.

For Mr. Thomas Caso, "good research requires partnership and we try (...) to gather around the best researchers in the (West African) area, and the CNRA is the most recognized body in our region".

Dr. Yté Wongbé, the Director General of the CNRA, welcomed this partnership, which shows the importance of the results of this Ivorian public structure, which is solicited for the signing of agreements, each year, with other research structures around the world.

"We make our cocoa varieties available to the subsidiary," wongbé said, referring to a variety of this crop developed as part of the fight against swollen shoot and "other hybrids that are ready to be able to enter the process of fighting this disease."

The CNRA, he will continue, will work to bring them a certain number of varieties, according to standards, which go in the direction of the quality of the products from these speculations; and which meet the criteria of development and transformation of the agri-food group.

"It's about making the best varieties available to them," said Dr. Yté Wongbé, whose research center is currently developing a new coffee variety called "Emerging Coffee ," which goes into production within a year.

This sharing of experiences between these two research institutions aims to "explore very important sectors" and provide scientific answers on the development of certain speculations while developing nutrient-rich and high-quality products.