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Increase crop production—COMESA

Increase crop production—COMESA
By Business Reporter

THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region needs to increase crop production output to mitigate the impact of rising food prices. COMESA investment promotion and private sector development director, Chungu Mwila said the current low levels of productivity were unfavourable for the region hence the need to put up measures to enhance crop production.

Dr Mwila said COMESA members agreed when they met in Seychelles last month to put up a programme with the World Food Programme (WFP) as well as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on ways of addressing rising food prices at regional level.

He was speaking in Lusaka yesterday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between COMESA and the Eastern African Farmers Federation (EAFF) aimed at promoting the development of agriculture in the region.

Dr Mwila explained that traditional supplies of food such as the USA and Latin America were using wheat and maize to produce bio-fuels in an effort to mitigate the impact of the climate change saying such a situation had contributed to rising food prices on the market.

COMESA Senior agricultural advisor, Cris Muyunda said the continued rising food prices were likely to result in more people getting affected by poverty and worsening malnutrition levels.

EAFF president Philip Kiriro said rising food prices on the international market would make it difficult to import food from other countries.

Mr Kiriro called for increased investment in the agricultural sector as well as putting in place measures aimed at ensuring food sufficiency in the region.

Acting COMESA secretary general ambassador, Nagla El Hussainy, said the MoU would broaden the consultations with the private sector to allow for increased investments in the agricultural sector.

Ambassador Nagla El Hussainy said the agreement would constitute a committed partnership aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the regional agricultural sector.

“In signing this MoU, we commit ourselves to working together to sustainably address the challenge of rising food prices, food insecurity and the poverty situation in the region,”she said.

The specific areas of interest in the MoU include trade in agricultural commodities, development of smallholder farmer programmes, elaborating Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) priorities particular pillar II of CAADP which focus on markets and rural infrastructure development.

Labels: CHUNGU MWILA, COMESA, FAO, WFP

posted by MrK @ 5:45 AM