NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 4 – Kenya is set to host the 6th edition of Africa Agri Expo in February aimed at creating a platform for agribusiness experts and key policymakers to explore the commercial opportunities in the continent.
The event is designed to provide solutions to farmers, agribusiness professionals, agronomists, and government representatives to improve their yields and revenue.
Themed ‘A Gateway to Agribusiness in Africa‘, the event will highlight the advancements in technologies in the agriculture value chain, food security, nutrition, crop protection, water management, and ways to mitigate post-harvest losses in Africa through the sustainable use of machines and technology as well as boosting productivity and profitability of farmers.
TAB Group’s (Organizers) Chief Executive Officer, Tahir A. Bari says the event will bring together African & global agriculture professionals to explore the market, introduce new products, innovations, tech advancements, high-yield solutions and address the storage, supply chain and distribution issues in the region.
“Reforms in agriculture regulations and policies, agrochemical advances, irrigation & mechanization, warehousing and distribution solutions, investment opportunities and disruptive technologies transforming Africa’s Agribusiness industry will be the core topics of discussions on the agenda,” he said.
The expo comes at a time when the country is facing a decline in agriculture output as the ongoing drought continues to bite.
According to the World Bank’s latest update on Kenya’s economy, the agriculture sector contracted by 1.5 per cent in the first half of 2022 with the sector contributing almost one-fifth of GDP, its poor performance slowed GDP growth by 0.3 per cent.
A recent rapid response phone survey that monitors the impact of shocks on households by the World Bank shows a rise in food insecurity, most severely in rural areas where over half of households reduced their food consumption in June 2022.
Most households reported an increase in prices of essential food items and with many being unable to access core staples, such as beans or maize.
“There is a need for the African governments to prioritise agricultural development and product promotion, and they are implementing action plans, policies, and schemes to foster agricultural growth quickly, creating exceptional business opportunities for international companies that can provide high-quality, cost-effective products and solutions to the market,” said Afsheen Siddiqui, Conference Producer of AAE 2023.
Agriculture in Africa has a massive social and economic footprint with more than 60 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa being smallholder farmers.
Further, Word bank data shows that bout 23 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP comes from agriculture. Yet, Africa’s full agricultural potential remains untapped.
A recent analysis by Mckinsey indicates that Africa could produce two to three times more cereals and grains which would add 20 percent more cereals and grains to the current worldwide 2.6 billion tons of output.
Similar increases could be seen in the production of horticulture crops and livestock.
The World Bank projects that agriculture and agribusiness in Africa will grow to be a USD1 trillion industry in Africa by 2030. To promote this outcome, the continent must review its incentive structures.
