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African bloc urged to use agriculture to boost intra-regional trade

Xinhua, May 17, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) member states were on Wednesday urged to boost national agricultural production in order to boost intra-regional trade.

Kenya's Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amina Mohamed told a regional agricultural forum that total COMESA food import bill stood at 29 billion U.S. dollars in 2016.

"This indicates that we can boost intra-regional trade if we begin trading in agricultural produce through enhanced agricultural production," Mohamed said during the Second Agro-Industry Dialogue.

The two-day event brought stakeholders to review issues affecting sustainability and growth in the agro industry sector.

Total trade by COMESA bloc stands at 235 billion dollars with intra-regional only about 7 percent.

Mohamed said that despite the 19-member trading bloc having vast resources in the agricultural sector, the industry is under-performing as it remains a net food importer.

She said that region should move away from subsistence to commercial agriculture in order to boost farm output.

"The fundamental issue is about how we can put in place policies and strategies that transform and enhance participation of small and medium enterprises in the agriculture supply chains so as to eliminate agricultural trade deficit," she added.

The CS urged the region to draw up a risk response mechanism so as to prevent the region from experiencing food scarcity caused by drought. Endit