Africa-Press – Botswana. About US$43 billion is the annual amount that the African continent spends on food imports, African Union Commissioner Josefa Correia Sacko said yesterday in Addis Ababa.
The diplomat made these revelations on the videoconference system, at the Annual Forum on African Food Processing, which the capital of Zimbabwe (Harare), hosts, assuring that the continent must increase food production to become more independent and consume what produces.
“There is absolutely no reason for Africa to be a net food importing region. Africa must feed itself and become a global power in food and agriculture”, stressed the Angolan commissioner at the African Union.
According to Ambassador Josefa Sacko, to achieve this feat, food processing and associated infrastructure must be updated, as it is the “missing link” of the continent’s food systems.
He mentioned that in the Agroindustry sector in developing countries, including Sub-Saharan Africa, food processing industries tend to be the most prevalent.
In his view, barriers notwithstanding, there are several benefits that Africa can derive from improved food processing, in addition to directly contributing to the Malabo Declaration objectives of ending hunger and tripling agricultural trade, they also include opportunities employment along the value chain.
Increased processing would partially solve the problem of food waste, ultra-processed foods associated with overweight (obesity) and other health challenges.
Another gain pointed out in the Food Processing sector, which is one of the keys to the successful implementation of the African Union’s Common African Agro-Parks (CAAP) initiative – which seeks to increase the supply of agricultural products produced and processed on the continent in a attempt to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and triple intra-African trade in food.
“With the right policies backed by scientific evidence, Africa’s emerging food processing sector can grow to deliver a triple win for small-scale producers, consumers and economic development across the continent.”
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