For three days, from July 23 to 25, the rural commune of Anketrakabe in Antsiranana II district celebrates the third edition of the Tsakotsako Festival, an economic gathering dedicated to the maize sector. The colorful carnival launched the festival, aiming to bring producers and buyers together, promote modern agricultural techniques, and encourage local processing to create added value around this strategic crop.
Despite difficult road conditions and remoteness, large crowds attended, demonstrating growing enthusiasm for this now-essential event. The official opening saw Diana region chief General Louis Francio Marovavy present alongside civil and military authorities.
From early morning, Anketrakabe buzzed with activity. Merchants, food stalls, and bars drew heavy crowds. Maize, called the "yellow sapphire" symbolizing prosperity for the commune, was visible everywhere: houses decorated with corn cobs, harvest sacks stacked outside homes, trucks, carts, and tractors transporting produce to collectors. Corn cobs even served as decorative art, showcasing residents' creativity.
Farmers brought their harvests to sell to collectors, with revenues enabling food reserves, clothing purchases, household equipment, and festival spending. The opening carnival featured decorated tractors and agricultural tools parading through streets, with young people throwing corn cobs to crowds. Festival partner stands displayed agricultural innovations and maize-derived products, while visitors discovered maize grains used as natural flooring.
This success story began in the 1990s when farmers adopted the IRAT 200 variety, yielding three to four tons per hectare. Today, the commune produces nearly 4,000 tons annually, with about 1,000 tons purchased by private operators and shipped to Antananarivo. Nearly 99% of inhabitants cultivate maize, with companies now supporting producers with agricultural inputs while buying harvests at 1,300 ariary per kilogram. Maize cultivation extends across approximately 80% of the commune's fokontany.
However, the sector faces significant challenges: "folera mena" disease reducing yields, soil depletion, insufficient cultivable land, inadequate farmer training, limited fertilizer and pesticide access, degraded roads hindering commerce, and absent storage infrastructure.
The regional chief reaffirmed agriculture's central role in Diana's development strategy, announcing road rehabilitation to Anketrakabe as a priority to unlock this productive zone. He called on producers to improve yields. "Maize represents true wealth for Diana region, especially Anketrakabe. We can be proud, but production remains insufficient. We must increase yields to seven tons per hectare, from four currently," he stated.
Beyond technical conferences and training, the festival concludes with traditional morengy combat and popular dancing.