RABAT, April 19. /TASS/. Mauritania considers cooperation with Russia useful for strengthening food security, the African country’s Agriculture Minister Memma Ould Beibata said in an interview with TASS in Rabat.

Beibata is taking part in the 33rd session of the regional conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the capital of the kingdom with the participation of ministers of agriculture of African countries.

Russian experience would be useful

"We have been cooperating with Russia since Mauritania gained independence. We think that cooperation with the Russian Federation can be useful for strengthening food security, in particular in the field of growing grain crops - wheat and others," the minister said.

"Mauritania began to produce wheat on its territory, since it is a strategic product for the country. But we continue to import grains. We see great potential in our lands, but we are still at the beginning of the journey. I think that Russian experience in this area could be very useful for Mauritania," the minister went on.

"In addition, there is still a great need for fertilizers for the development of various branches of our agricultural sector. Mauritania does not produce fertilizers, it imports them. By the way, we import most of the fertilizers, in particular from Russia and Ukraine. We believe "that cooperation in this area can be further developed," the minister summed up.

According to information presented at the conference, Mauritania has in recent years achieved certain results in the cultivation of several varieties of wheat on its territory. The experiments carried out are encouraging to experts in terms of both the quantity and quality of harvests.