African agro-exhibitors a hit at Biofach 2008

by Chido Makunike

The first ever Africa Pavilion was one of the highlights of this year's Biofach, the world's biggest trade show for organic agricultural products, held every February in Nuremberg, Germany. For the first time, exhibitors from Africa were grouped together to make it easier for visitors to see the range of products available from the continent.

The 87 exhibitors at the Africa Pavilion reported good traffic, with an estimated 3000 visitors having visited their stands and showing strong interest in the various products on display. The exhibitors consisted of export companies, cooperatives of producers, various organic advocacy support groups and others.

The Africa Pavilion was organized by Grolink of Sweden and AgroEco of Netherlands. The two consultancy companies have many years of supporting the development of the formal organic sector in various countries in Africa.

This year’s grouping of African exhibitors was designed to facilitate trade relations as well as discussions on various issues to do with the development of the organic sector in Africa. In addition to the interactions taking place at the exhibitor stands throughout the fair, a special symposium dedicated to the opportunities and challenges for organic agriculture in Africa took place throughout the day on 23 February.

Presentations were made by many stakeholders and experts in African organic development and trade issues. Representatives of producers told participants of some of the challenges they face and how they overcome them. Traders gave their own perspectives on their experiences of being in the middle between producers and importers in the target markets. National and international organizations related the work they are doing to support various sectors of African organics. As a sign of the growing seriousness with which organic agriculture is beginning to be taken in a number of African countries, some government officials were also on hand to state how it is being incorporated into agricultural planning.

While business and policy matters dominated all days of the fair, the cultural aspect was not neglected. Lamin Kuyateh, Gambian maestro of the Kora, a revered traditional West African string instrument, performed on a raised platform at the Africa Pavilion throughout the fair, serving as a further attraction to visitors.

Senegalese singer Gilbert Diop Abdourahmane and his international band of backing musicians was a particular crowd puller during the well-attended Africa Pavilion reception of the night of February 22. This was the entertainment highlight of the pavilion, with fair-goers seemingly hypnotised by the mix of his energetic performance and the wines, juices, fruits and other African products they were able to sample during the reception.

Apart from whatever trade deals will result from the Africa Pavilion, it is also part of a long-term effort to build a “Brand Africa” for the continent’s organic suppliers and products. The pavilion proved such a successful test run that plans are already under way to repeat and expand the Africa Pavilion during Biofach 2009.