AFRICA/UGANDA - Commitment to increase agricultural production in Africa by 70% by 2050

Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – African agriculture ministers, researchers, entrepreneurs, farmers, and private sector members have pledged to increase agriculture productivity by 70 per cent by 2050. The resolution was made during the 2nd Agribusiness Forum in Munyonyo, a Kampala suburb.
"We should admit that Africa has gone down in agriculture produce that we need to address urgently," said Prof. Pierre Mathijsen, the president for the European Marketing Research Centre that partnered with the government to organize the conference.
Prof. Mathijsen said the forum that also attracted various entrepreneurs would look into issues of availing investors opportunities in the agriculture sector to make Africa a self-sustaining continent and a food basket for the planet.
The second Deputy Premier, Hajj Kirunda Kivejinja, said the leaders should start with Uganda that has many unexploited resources to boost agriculture productivity. "If they can look at Uganda’s excellent business incentives coupled with new technologies by the National Agricultural Research Organisation which only need to be disseminated, available natural waters, rainfall and increasing markets for agricultural products, then Uganda would act as a model for other African countries," Mr. Kirunda said.
Mr. Kirunda said while the number of hungry people is decreasing in China, it’s very absurd that those in sub-Saharan Africa is instead increasing.
The Minister for Agriculture, Ms. Hope Mwesigye, said the government is committed to increasing food production in the coming five years to make Uganda a self-sustaining country and a food basket for the region. "Uganda has the most productive soils among the five East African countries, requiring only one per cent fertilizers use to produce more food," Ms. Mwesigye said. Uganda’s main food crops are plantain, cassava, sweet potatoes, millet, sorghum, beans and groundnuts. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 9/10/2010)