Africa imports $25 billion agricultural products annually

The sum of $25 billion is being spend yearly by African countries on the importation of agricultural produce, says Joshua Dione, director of Food Security and Sustainable Development at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

Dione said, “There is no escape to facing up to the incontestable and daunting challenge of the paradoxical situation of a continent where the economies of most countries are still predominantly agrarian, yet despite average annual food and agricultural imports of $25 billion and food aid to the tune of $2 billion, nearly one-third of the total population suffer from chronic hunger.

“Hence, rural poverty or wealth obviously feeds urban poverty or wealth, especially through rural-urban economic and social linkage and migrations. In short, through its considerable potential for broad-based income growth and employment creation, agricultural developments is key to achieving most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) and beyond in Africa”.

Dione, who argued that the overall economy of most African countries and their potential for achieving the MDGs, depend significantly on how seriously they take agriculture, however, decried the neglect of the sector.

The Tide