For about three hundred years, Madagascar supplied cattle to Mauritius (until 1971) and Reunion Island. These cattle were transported on foot, which simplified logistics and meat processing. In 1997, the European Union suspended beef imports from Madagascar due to the “absence of a control and traceability system and non-compliance with hygiene standards.”
Historically, areas like Isotry and Anosipatrana were the slaughterhouses of the capital. I recall the slaughterhouse in Ambohitrarahaba in the 1980s, characterized by noise, shouting, and blocked roads. The chaotic and filthy scenes I witnessed forty years ago persist today at the current slaughterhouse in Ankadindratombo, near the bypass road to Alasora.
This chaos and filth are not limited to cattle. Above the Ambohidahy tunnel, despite efforts to clean, the area remains perpetually dirty due to street vendors leaving behind rice scraps, charcoal ash, and oil stains. It reflects a lack of civic education among daily users.
Currently, users of the Ampasampito bus station are complaining. Such places seem destined for chaos and filth under the current Malagasy mindset. The disorder seen at Fasan’ny Karana will likely simply migrate to the new site at Amoronankona. We have become accustomed to the stench, but can we expect tourists, used to order and cleanliness, to adapt to this chaos and filth?
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-30 05:39:09 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/korontandrontana-sy-malotoloto.html