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Food for thought

What’s behind Africa’s skyrocketing imports yet increased production growth?

The headline figures for agriculture in Africa paint a contrasting picture: imports that are steadily rising while the continent’s producers are recording harvest growth. Digging deep into the numbers, several trends are revealed: oil importers like Nigeria with huge food import bills, African farmers are producing more and more, but investment and farm yields are lagging population growth as many African authorities neglect agricultural research.
By Loza Seleshie
© Waki Munyalo winnows maize collected from her harvest insured by Pula, an agricultural insurance company which helps small-scale farmers manage the risk associated with extreme climate conditions, in Kitui county, Kenya, March 17, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi
© Waki Munyalo winnows maize collected from her harvest insured by Pula, an agricultural insurance company which helps small-scale farmers manage the risk associated with extreme climate conditions, in Kitui county, Kenya, March 17, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, “Africa imported about 85% of its food (2016-2018) from outside the continent,” amounting to $35bn and is expected to reach $110bn by 2025. At the same time, sub-Saharan Africa has recorded “the highest rate of agricultural production growth of any region of the world since  2000”.  How do these two trends balance out?

Higher

  • Loza Seleshie

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