A New World Bank Report Says That
Africa’s Farmers Can Potentially Grow Enough Food To Feed The Continent And
Avert Future Food Crises If Countries Remove Cross-Border Restrictions On The
Food Trade Within The Region.
According To The Report Africa Can Help Feed
Africa: Removing Barriers To Regional Trade In Food Staples Africa Has Enough Fertile Farm Land, Water, And Favorable Climates
To Feed Itself, Yet It Is Forced To Import Ever-Larger Amounts Of Food From
Outside The Region To Keep Up With Rising Demands From Families Across The
Continent.
The Report Says The Rising Cost
Of Importing Food, However, Has Focused Sharp Attention On The Effectiveness Of
Current Agricultural Policies Across The Continent.
The World Bank Reports Has Noted
That Africa’s Rapid Urbanization Increases The Need For The Continent To Feed
Itself.
It Says As Drought, Poor Market
Conditions, And Lack Of Access To Capital, Seeds And Fertilizer, Force More
Africans To Leave Their Small Farms And Move Into Cities In Search Of Work,
Countries Compensate For This Loss In Small-Scale Production And Increase In
Urban Populations By Importing Larger Shipments Of Staple Foods From Outside
The Continent.
The World Bank Says The Cost Is
Huge Well Above $20 Billion Per Year And This Figure Is Projected To Double By
2020.
The Reports Says Estimates Show
That 860 Million People Live In Sub-Saharan Africa, And The Population Is
Rapidly Growing And Africa’s Demand For Food Staples Is Expected To Double By
2020, But African Farmers Have Not Been Able To Increase Productivity To
Satisfy Rising Demands.
Head Of The World Bank’s Africa
Trade Practice And Principal Author Of The Report, Paul Brenton, Says If Africa
Is Really Going To Provide Poor People With Better Access To Food, And Help
Poor Farmers Earn Higher Prices For Their Food Crops, Opening Up Cross-Border
Trade Across The Region Is Essential.
Mr Brenton Says Trade
Restrictions Such As Export And Import Bans, Variable Import Tariffs And
Quotas, Restrictive Rules Of Origin And Price Controls, Prevent Consumers In
One Area From Benefiting From Staple Foods And Other Agricultural Resources In
Nearby Areas Must Be Removed.
He Says Small-Holder Farmers Who
Sell Surplus Harvest Typically Receive Less Than 20 Percent Of The Market Price
Of Their Products And The Rest Is Eaten Up By Transaction Costs Which In Turn
Reduce Incentives To Farmers To Grow More Food For Market.
Mr Brenton Says This Predicament
Undermines Private Sector Confidence To Invest In Food Staples, Shifting The
Focus More Towards Cash Crop Production, With The Result That Locally-Grown
Food Ends Up Being Significantly More Expensive Than Foreign Imports.
He Stated That As A Result,
Governments And Policymakers Are Grappling With How Unstable Food Prices Affect
Their Economic And Social Wellbeing, And Searching For Answers To Improve The
Situation In A Continent Were More Than 70 Percent Of Africans Live In The
Country Side And Derive Their Livelihood Directly From Agriculture.
Mr. Breton Says Food Staples Are
Generally Transported In Bulk By Trucks, And The Cost Of Moving Goods By Road
In Sub-Saharan Africa Is High And Transit Times Are Uncertain And Delays
Exceptionally Long.
He Has Noted That There Are Still
Key Gaps In Infrastructure And Logistics Between African Countries And One Of
The More Obvious And Stubbornly Persistent Problems Is Road Blocks, Which Not
Only Cause Delays But Make Trucks Carrying Food Staples An Easy Target For
Bribes.
Mr. Brenton Says There Is The
Problem Of Standards And Their Enforcement At The Border Because Standards
Often Differ From Country To Country.
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