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Showing posts with label Southern Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Southern Africa. Show all posts

Friday, August 7, 2015

AGRA partners COMESA for youth-centred agro plans



The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has concluded plans to partner with the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), to invent strategies that will enable the youth and women engage in profitable agriculture.

AGRA and COMESA, NaijaAgroNet gathered, will next month host the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) to develop concrete investment plans for driving Africa’s agricultural transformation. The forum, whose theme is “Walking the talk on youth and women, bringing inclusive agricultural markets to life,” is slated for September 29 to October 2, wherein about 300 global and African leaders are expected.

AGRA president Agnes Kalibata at a press briefing recently, NaijaAgroNet reports, said as African economies have continued to experience positive growth, it is important that all stakeholders join forces in scaling up production to give to the livelihoods of the people.

“The AGRF partners group is pleased to have Zambia as the venue for this year’s forum. Zambia is a regional agribusiness hub and Government has prioritized agricultural growth over the past few years as witnessed by its heavy investments in developing the sector,” she said.

She said for Africa to unlock the wealth that exists in the agriculture sector, governments should ensure that the value chains work for men, women and youth.

NaijaAdgroNet learnt that the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Given Lubinda  on her part, said that government will support any programme that seeks to promote the growth of the sector in a sustainable way.

“We are ready to partner with AGRA, the AGRF Partners’ Group and other industry players to ensure that the planned forum is a resounding success and that Africa’s agricultural transformation gets the push it needs to witness even more progress for our businesses and farmers,” Lubinda stated.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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 PIX: Agnes Kalibata

Friday, April 24, 2015

200 dead as late rains, floods threaten food security – SADC





Executive Secretary, Southern African development Community, (SADC) Dr. Lawrence Stergomena Tax, has at a recent SADC Council of Ministers meeting held in Harare, Zimbabwe confirmed that late last year’s floods and rains of early this year, has threatened food security in the Southern Africa region, NaijaAgroNet reports.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that the food security situation in the region is expected to be less than satisfactory during the 2015/16 marketing year as a result of poor rains in most parts of the region, dry spells in some areas, and floods in other areas.

Dr Tax, NaijaAgroNet learnt, expressed dissatisfaction over the situation, noting that SADC would continue to monitor the situation and support early warning for food security and vulnerability assessments in the member states.

In a report on food security assessment presented at the 34th SADC Summit held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in August last year, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the region had recorded a cereal surplus of more than 670 000 metric tonnes during the previous agricultural marketing season year.

This, according to the report, was mainly attributed to good rainfall, better access to inputs such as seeds and fertilizer, as well as credit facilities and extension services.
NaijaAgroNet also learnt that the floods of which affected parts of Southern Africa between late last year and early this year, left 200 people dead and 500,000 displaced in Malawi, while in Mozambique, about 27, 838 households suffered losses in cash crops.

Meanwhile SADC during the council meeting, deliberated on innovative ways of dealing with problems associated with changes in weather patterns, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, said it was now time for the region to seek ways to curb increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods which adversely affects key sectors of the regional economy including agriculture.

Mumbengegwi, who is also Zimbabwean Foreign Affairs Minister, told NaijaAgroNet that SADC to help deal with poor rains, would invest more in regional water infrastructure development such as irrigation, allowing the region to farm all year around and not only depend on climatic conditions to deal with poor rains.

As agriculture is the backbone of most economies in southern Africa, and more than 62 percent of the SADC region’s 277 million people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Council of Ministers, would canvass for an increased budget allocations to agriculture as well as targeted subsidy programmes that would result in farmers accessing agricultural inputs and farm implements at cheaper rates.

Daniel Nsolibe/GEE 

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Monday, December 1, 2014

COMESA stakeholders harmonize fertilizer policy



Stakeholders at the just concluded high level harmonization workshop on fertiliser policies and regulations in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) ended in the city of Lusaka, Zambia, with a call by member states to proactively facilitate free trade through meaningful regional integration, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The two day meeting, NaijaAgroNet gathered attracted policy makers in COMESA region who ended up recommending that COMESA, being the implementing agency of the member countries facilitates a highly consultative process at national and sub-regional levels that will lead to an agreement on a regional policy and regulatory framework for fertiliser development.

A press statement issued by Maria Wanzala-Mlobela, Senior Fertilizer Expert with Africa Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) informed NaijaAgroNet that the main tasks will include a systematic assessment of, and response to, policy, legal and regulatory obstacles to fertiliser trade, including the removal of value added tax (VAT) and other taxes on all fertiliser products in the region.

This, she said, was aimed at creating an enabling environment for private sector investment and commercial opportunities in the region.

As said by her, investing in improved agricultural production is vital to Africa’s economic transformation to alleviate poverty and achieving food security through the development of the fertilizer industry especially through public private partnerships (PPPs).

Ms. Maria Wanzala-Mlobela noted that revolutionising the fertilizer supply chain system in Africa requires a multi-stakeholder, all inclusive approach that addresses access, affordability, availability, and investments incentives.

“COMESA will support the domestication of regional regulations, monitor progress toward regional harmonisation and guide Member States in the formulation and alignment of national policy and programme initiatives such as subsidy programmes,” said Maria Wanzala-Mlobela.

+Remmy Nweke @NaijaAgroNet @COMESA
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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Inadequate funding, bane of food security in Southern Africa

 
Inadequate funding has been identified as the bane of the low level of assistance project in the battle for food security in the Southern Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet reports.

According to FEWS NET which estimates that most parts of the region will remain food secure throughout the outlook period, as at October 2013.

NaijaAgroNet reports that pockets of acute food insecurity existed in areas with reduced 2012/13 harvests due to shocks such as mid-season dry spells, pest infestations, and flooding.

Food access by households, NaijaAgroNet gathered that in these areas is already problematic, and the lean season is indicated to have begun earlier than the normal October/November start.

Throughout the outlook period; Stressed (IPC Phase 2) and Minimal (IPC Phase 1) outcomes are expected in localized parts of Zimbabwe and Malawi in the presence of humanitarian assistance.

This was attributed to insufficient resource levels, with funds currently estimated at approximately 60 per cent of needs in both countries. The report pointed out that in parts of Malawi, outcomes worsened to Crisis (IPC Phase 3) between January and March as resources dwindle and assistance is interrupted.

Intra-regional trade, the report emphasised is stabilizing staple grain supplies, in addition to formal and informal cross border trade especially exports from surplus producing parts of Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa; were expected to continue to play a key role in supplying deficit area markets across the region.

However, staple food prices were reportedly rising seasonably, prices remain high and are increasing faster in areas where market supplies are atypically low. Although estimated regional production is similar to last year and above the fiveyear average, tradable supplies were tighter due to localized production deficits in 2013, lower carry-over stocks, and strong export demand.


This is expected to continue to exert atypical upward pressure on maize prices.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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