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#1 ·
Post news & discuss agriculture on the continent...

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Fertiliser Trees Prove a Hit in Southern Africa
allAfrica

Hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in southern Africa are adopting fast-growing trees and shrubs to fertilise their fields naturally, for improved yields and incomes, according to a study.

Scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), a non-profit research organisation in Kenya, analysed two decades-worth of efforts to bring 'fertiliser trees' to African farms and announced their findings - which were published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability - last month (14 October).

Fertiliser trees, such as the acacia tree, capture nitrogen from the air and transfer it to the soil in a process known as nitrogen-fixing. This restores nutrients and increases crop productivity, with the potential to double or even triple harvests. They also improve water efficiency on farms and help prevent soil erosion.

"Four hundred thousand farmers in southern Africa [Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe] are growing the trees to boost their farm yields, and there are still millions of resource-poor smallholders who could benefit from them," said Oluyede Ajayi, lead author of the study and a senior scientist at ICRAF.

The study found that maize yields and farmers' incomes are significantly higher in areas where the trees are used. In Zambia, for example, incomes for farmers using fertiliser trees averaged US$230-330 per hectare, while those who did not use the trees earned just US$130.
This increase in income provided food for up to 114 extra days.

Jackson Mulatya, a senior scientist at the Kenya Forest Research Institute, said that the practice [of planting these trees] could increase productivity and be widely adopted in Africa. "Herbaceous plants have been used to boost soil fertility since time immemorial ... scientists have modified the practice," he said.
 
#326 ·
GHANA: Importers and exporters fight ban on tilapia

The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana is unhappy with government’s decision to ban importation of all tilapia species and ornamental fishes from 1 July to 31 December this year without consulting them first.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development said the six months ban is an immediate measure to help prevent and control tilapia lake virus, a newly emerging virus that is associated with significant mortalities in farmed tilapia with cases reported across Africa, Asia and South America.

Since the first discovery of the virus in Israel in 2014, cases have been reported in Columbia, Ecuador, Egypt and Thailand and the number of reported cases is expected to rise hence the ban.

However, the Importers and Exporters Association said government did not engage them before coming out with the directive and say they will incur cost unless a compensation package is put in place for businessmen who have already made orders prior to the ban.

Speaking to Class News, the Executive Director of the Association, Samson Asaki Awingobit said: “It is a big blow, it’s a challenging time for someone who has already placed an order that is on the high seas coming.

...



https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Importers-and-exporters-fight-ban-on-tilapia-664633
 
#327 ·
Tanzania assembles 770 tractors

DAR ES SALAAM. – The National Development Corporation (NDC) of Tanzania has said it has assembled 770 tractors and 140 ploughs out of 2,400 tractors and 1,300 ploughs supplied in the market.

This has reduced dependence on imported implements from Poland.

NDC Managing director Prof Damian Gabagambi revealed this to The Citizen during the on-going 42nd Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF).

We are launching the tractor today (Monday) here at the grounds. So, we call upon farmers and agriculture stakeholders to come and see our tractors that have been assembled in the country,” he said.

Prof Gabagambi said 941 harrows out of 1,100 have been imported and 225 assembled. The assembly works are being conducted by Tanzanians staff under the supervision of URSUS S.A of Republic of Poland who is the manufacturer and supplier of URSUS tractors.

He said government is implementing a tractor assembly project at TAMCO Industrial Estate, Kibaha District Coast Region.

https://www.herald.co.zw/tanzania-assembles-770-tractors/
 
#328 ·
Tanzania: Wheat Prices Fall As Supply Rises

Wholesale and retail prices of wheat have fallen in many regions on the Mainland Tanzania, save Kilimanjaro, data shows.

A survey by The Citizen has shown that prices of wheat started to decrease since early June due to increased supply.

At Tandika, Kariakoo and Temeke-Double Cabin grain markets, the survey found that wholesale prices of a 100-kilo bag of wheat went down to an average of Sh100,000 and Sh120,000 on June 25 from Sh110,000 and Sh160,000 recorded on April 11 this year.

The survey have shown that retail prices of one kilo of wheat fell to an average of Sh1,000 and Sh1,500 from Sh1,500 and Sh2,000 on the period under review. The chairman of Tandika Market, Mr Mohamed Mwekya, said prices have decreased due to increase in supply as it is currently the harvesting period.

"Many regions including Mbeya and Arusha are currently experiencing higher volumes of wheat harvests," he said. Data from the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment for June 25 shows that the prices have decreased in many regions.

The report shows that Arusha has experienced the lowest price of the product, whereby a 100 kilo bag is sold at an average price of Sh68,000 while the highest price of Sh155,000 was seen in Geita Region.

...

http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/tanzania-wheat-prices-fall-as-supply-rises
 
#332 ·
Tunisia’s fruit export grew by 51% in value in January-July 2018

(Ecofin Agency) - Tunisia’s fruit exports increased by 51% in value to TND42.4 million ($16.2 million) between January 2 and July 3, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries revealed.

This increase in revenue was driven by higher export volume which reached 13,990 tons over the period reviewed, 19.2% more than the previous marketing year.

Apricot was the most sold fruit with shipments amounting to 4,990 tons for TND15.92 million. Main revenue-generating destinations include Libya (TND11.5 million) and Italy (TND4.65 million).

Let’s note that apricot is mainly cultivated in central Tunisia, in Kairouan and Kasserine regions



https://www.ecofinagency.com/agriculture/1007-38736-tunisia-s-fruit-export-grew-by-51-in-value-in-january-july-2018
 
#333 ·
Senegal River Valley to produce 875,000 tons of rice by 2020

(Ecofin Agency) - By 2020, Senegal River Valley (VFS) would produce up to 875,000 tons of rice, up from 455,000 tons currently. This was revealed by Amadou Thiam, head of development and support to local authorities at the national authority for Delta land operation and development (SAED).

According to APS which reported the news, Senegal initiated various measures to hit target, including the improvement in land development as well as higher financial support for agriculture.

Mr. Thiam said through the agricultural support scheme, local farmers now have easier access to equipment. Moreover, the National agricultural credit fund (CNCAS) benefited from a CFA10 billion credit line provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) for agricultural investments. Let’s note that VFS accounts for about 60% of Senegal's rice output, according to USDA. It has a hydro-agricultural potential estimated at 240,000 hectares.



https://www.ecofinagency.com/agriculture/1007-38733-senegal-river-valley-to-produce-875-000-tons-of-rice-by-2020
 
#335 ·
TANZANIA : LONGIDO COMES WITH A 5BN/- MEAT PROCESSING

LONGIDO District Council is on the right track on the industrialisation agenda as it has initiated construction of an industrial plant worth more than 5bn/- to double as an abattoir and a meat processing facility.

The district is walking the talk by President John Magufuli that every region should have in place at least 100 new industries come December this year.

Longido District Executive Director (DED), Mr Juma Mhina unveiled at Longido recently that the factory would be with a capacity to slaughter and process 3,000 livestock per day.

Mr Mhina said the plant that is already under construction would be very helpful to livestock keepers as well as customers as the former will stop taking their cattle to the neighbouring country.

He unveiled that herders take about 1,800 cattle to Kenya on daily basis. The DED said district with a huge wealth in livestock would see value of their goods added before export.

About 90 per cent of district residents are herders, the district boasting of more than 844,000 livestock.

He said now the district authorities are out to see the livestock are well kept to ensure productivity, target being to benefit more the pastoralists change standard of their lives, come out of poverty through economic emancipation.

He added that the plant would also prove beneficial to residents of nearby regions such as Manyara, Shinyanga, Simiyu and Singida.

Mr Mhina unveiled that livestock keepers keep going to Kenya because they have access to three meat processing industries.

He said that livestock keepers from Longido and Ngorongoro districts as well as other regions in Tanzania take a lot of livestock to the East African country, hence improving its economy.

He said that by huge percentage the trio have been fed by livestock from Tanzania and that the decision by his district council to construct such an industry would be redemption to Tanzanians who would start enjoying value adding process of their cattle in their own country.

He said it is estimated that the factory that is being constructed by the council with support from the Central Government would provide 130 employment opportunities as well as initiate meat export business.

Mr Mhina unveiled that the factory is scheduled to be completed in December this year and that from the following month thereafter the district council’s coffers would be getting at least 1.5bn/- a year from the industry.

He said it will buoy council’s ability to improve social services and lives of its people.



https://dailynews.co.tz/news/2018-07-305b5ee257c3ab8.aspx
 
#337 ·
Morocco agrees to accept U.S. poultry: USTR, USDA

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Morocco has agreed to accept imports of American poultry products for the first time, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday, estimating initial annual shipments at about $10 million.

The agreement reverses Morocco’s previous ban on U.S. poultry that was based on food safety concerns despite a free trade agreement between the two countries.


USTR and USDA said the two agencies had worked with the Moroccan government “to provide assurances on the safety of U.S. poultry.

They estimated that Morocco would be a $10 million market for U.S. poultry initially, with additional growth over time.

I am convinced that when the Moroccan people get a taste of U.S. poultry, they’re going to want more of it,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement, adding that it was a top priority for the Trump administration to open new markets for agricultural products.

In Rabat, Morocco’s agriculture and fisheries ministry said the deal covered frozen poultry products and permitted shipments of 8,958 tonnes in 2018, describing this as equivalent to 1.3 percent of Morocco’s poultry product consumption.

The deal stipulated that the U.S. imports have health and Islamic Halal certificates, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the accord followed a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries that entered into force in 2006.

The United States is the world’s second-largest poultry exporter after Brazil, with global sales of poultry meat and products of $4.3 billion last year.

The announcement comes at a time when many U.S. farmers are feeling pressure from retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products that have been levied by China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico and other countries in response to Washington’s tariffs on steel, aluminum and $34 billion worth of Chinese goods.



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-morocco/morocco-agrees-to-accept-us-poultry-ustr-usda-idUSKBN1KS0VU
 
#339 ·
Tanzania, Netherlands sign potato deal

Tanzania and the Netherlands last week signed an agreement that will see the two countries cooperate in production of Irish potatoes.

The permanent secretary in the ministry of Agriculture, Mr Mathew Mtigumwe, and the Dutch Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Jeroen Verheul, signed the document on behalf of the two governments.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the deputy minister in the President's Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments), Mr Josephat Kandege, officials from the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (Sagcot), Regional Commissioners and District Commissioners.

Mr Kandege thanked the Dutch government for bringing into Tanzania four companies that are experienced in potato production, saying the move would promote the potato value chain and put Tanzania on the world potato map. However, he added that the important joint venture was made possible through the efforts and determination of workers of the Sagcot.

Mr Kandege appealed to the Dutch government to spread such kind of production cooperation to other crops. Mr Verheul said Sagcot played a big role in making the agreement possible, adding that the cardinal aim in the cooperation was to increase potato production output and increase growers' disposable income.

He said a potato centre of excellence and a demonstration farm would be built in Uyole, near Mbeya City.

...



https://www.potatopro.com/news/2018/tanzania-netherlands-sign-potato-deal
 
#340 ·
#341 · (Edited)
Avian Flu costs Sadc $810 million

THE outbreak of the Avian Influenza in Zimbabwe and South Africa saw the regional countries incurring about $810 million losses in egg production, according to the Southern African Development Community Regional Vulnerability Analysis and Assessment Report.
The H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continued to threaten the region’s poultry industry, with Zimbabwe and South Africa incurring heavy losses.
South Africa reported the disease had affected 813 000 breeding stock and backyard chickens; Zimbabwe reported the disease effecting 857 000 breeding stock on a single farm.

Egg production losses in these three member states totalled $810 million, causing more than 3 000 job losses. No subsequent outbreaks have been reported,” the report, which also focuses on the region’s State of Food and Nutrition and Vulnerability, said.

https://www.financialgazette.co.zw/avian-flu-costs-region-810-million/
 
#344 ·
Nigeria producing 60% of seeds in West Africa, others – NASC

Nigeria accounts for over 60 per cent of seeds traded and used in West Africa and some parts of East and Central Africa, the National Agricultural Seeds Council has said.

According to the council, additional 158 new seed entrepreneurs have been added to the existing players in the Nigeria’s seed sector in order to bridge the country’s seed supply gap

The Director-General, NASC, Phillip Olusegun, who disclosed this at the head office of the council in Abuja, also stated that the seed industry was experiencing tremendous growth.

He said, “We continually dominate and extend our share of the seed landscape in the sub-region. Nigeria’s seed industry accounts for over 60 per cent of seeds traded and used in the West African sub-region and some parts of East and Central Africa.

On the new seed entrepreneurs, Olusegun said, “The governing board of the NASC has approved the licensing of 158 new seed entrepreneurs of different categories to add to the existing 156 already in operation.

...

https://punchng.com/nigeria-producing-60-of-seeds-in-wafrica-others-nasc/
 
#345 ·
Assessing the Growth Potential of Eastern Congo’s Coffee and Cocoa Sectors



During the past decade, donors and companies have begun to build viable coffee and cocoa sectors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The locus of activity has been in eastern Congo, where decades of conflict and poor governance have displaced populations and ruined livelihoods. While the political and security environment in the DRC does not favor large-scale cash crop production, the climatic conditions do. Eastern Congo, particularly the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, produces excellent coffee and cocoa. Furthermore, eastern Congo has a successful history of large-scale coffee production, first under the Belgian colonists, then in the first decades of independence before the sector fell apart under President Mobuto Sese Seko.

The recent entry into eastern Congo of development dollars and private-sector partners, ranging from small traders to retail giants like Starbucks, has provided a foundation to expand the DRC’s agricultural export sector. These groups and individuals have taken a risk on a country that has largely been written off by an international community disillusioned by endemic crisis and corruption. Now it is up to the DRC to reward this show of faith by taking steps to attract a larger pool of investors focused on achieving both financial returns and positive social impact. The DRC can only do this by forging a vision for the cash crop sector, putting its own resources into its development, and taking actions to improve the business environment.

Any credible strategy for expanding the agricultural export economy in eastern Congo must be centered on sustainable growth that benefits smallholder farmers and their communities and helps cement peace in a volatile region. With future global supplies of coffee and cocoa threatened by farmer poverty, the impact of climate change, and corporate doubts about the sectors’ profitability, the DRC can create a market opportunity for itself, provided it shows vision and intelligence. If the DRC can learn from mistakes made by other producing nations, it has the potential to build a thriving cash crop sector that not only benefits the national economy but improves the lives of some of its most vulnerable citizens.

Realizing this vision, however, will not be easy. Daunting barriers stand in the way of a large, successful cash crop sector. Farmers are poor, lack support, and struggle to access finance. Their trees are old, badly maintained, and low-yielding. Companies worry about the expense and logistical challenges of getting produce out of the country, at volume. Insecurity and poor governance create a level of unpredictability that deters potential investors.

This report weighs up the size of these risks, compared with the opportunities on offer, and suggests some strategies for overcoming them. Material is drawn from expert interviews and a literature review of global best practices in the coffee and cocoa sectors. The evidence suggests that expectations for the DRC should be realistic. Eastern Congo is highly unlikely to become the next Colombia of coffee production or displace Côte d’Ivoire as the world’s leading source of cocoa. Nevertheless, there is potential to scale up coffee and cocoa production in the DRC in a sustainable way that improves the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Success will depend on:

  • Effective partnerships between donors, private-sector actors all the way along the value chain, and the Congolese government, which must lay out a compelling strategy for expanding the agricultural export sector and rally support around it.
  • Sustained training of farmers and cooperatives that increases production of coffee and cocoa without compromising on quality.
  • Increasing the flow of capital into eastern Congo’s agricultural sector by deploying new, innovative financing mechanisms and technologies.
  • Finding new ways to market Congolese products that connect with consumers and shift a greater share of value chain profits toward smallholder farmers.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/assessing-growth-potential-eastern-congos-coffee-and-cocoa-sectors

https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/180307_Downie_CongoCoffeeCocoa_Web.pdf?DDIgFFFPLdWgkQu4WiVzj1az7ZqmAiTI
 
#348 ·
Loss of Bird Species Hampers Forecasting for Zimbabwe's Farmers

ZIMUNYA, ZIMBABWE —
As the summer planting season approaches in eastern Zimbabwe, small-scale farmers struggle with familiar questions: When will the rains come, and when should I sow my crops?

This year something else is keeping them awake: In late August the government issued a warning about a potential El Niño weather pattern, associated with changes in weather patterns worldwide.

Should El Niño arrive, Zimbabwe might see normal or higher-than-average rains, said Washington Zhakata, director of the country's Climate Change Department. More likely, though, there would not be enough rain.

"Looking at the past observations ... once an El Niño sets in, depending on the strength and nature of the El Niño, the chances of bad rains or below-normal rainfall in Zimbabwe are between 50 and 65 percent," he said.

In trying to figure out what to plant and when this year, farmers are also missing an old ally: Birds, whose movements traditionally have helped predict coming weather.

Delayed rainfall

In Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands the farming season typically starts in late October or early November. But in recent years the weather has become less predictable, and that is a growing problem for farmers.

"At times the rainy season is now starting well into December. The weather is now changing," said Leonard Madanhire, a farmer in Zimunya, a village close to the Mozambique border.

...



https://www.voanews.com/a/loss-of-bird-species-hampers-forecasting-for-zimbabwe-s-farmers/4586767.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 
#349 ·
Burkinabe Farmer Wins 'Alternative Nobel' for Drought-fighting Technique

DAKAR —
A farmer from Burkina Faso who popularized an ancient farming technique to reverse desertification is among the winners of Sweden's "alternative Nobel prize," announced on Monday.

Yacouba Sawadogo shared this year's award with three Saudi human rights activists and an Australian agronomist. The 3 million Swedish crown ($341,800) prize honors people who find solutions to global problems.

Sawadogo is known for turning barren land into forest using "zai" - pits dug in hardened soil that concentrate water and nutrients, allowing crops to withstand drought.

The technique has been used to restore thousands of hectares of dry land and in doing so reduce hunger in Burkina Faso and Niger since he began to teach it in the 1980s, according to the Right Livelihood Award Foundation.

Sawadogo said he hoped he would be able to "use the award for the future."

"My wish is for people to take my knowledge and share it. This can benefit the youth of the country," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from his village in Burkina Faso.

The country dips into a semi-arid zone below the Sahara desert known as the Sahel, where climate change and land overuse are making it increasingly difficult to farm, experts say.

"Yacouba Sawadogo vowed to stop the desert -- and he made it," said Ole von Uexkull, executive director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation.

"If local communities and international experts are ready to learn from his wisdom, it will be possible to regenerate large areas of degraded land, decrease forced migration and build peace in the Sahel."

Last year, erratic rains left nearly a million people in need of food aid across the country.

...



https://www.voanews.com/a/burkinabe-farmer-wins-alternative-nobel-for-drought-fighting-technique/4585941.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 
#350 ·
African Development Bank launches $24bn agriculture investment to end hunger for 1bn people

The African Development Bank (AfDB) today announced it is investing US$24 billion in African agriculture over the next 10 years, and called on global partners to join hands to lift one billion people worldwide out of hunger.

Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB president said the world is not winning the war against global hunger as statistics show a decline in the global population living on less than two dollars per day.

“The African Development Bank put feeding Africa as one of its topmost priorities when it launched its Feed Africa strategy in 2015 and is investing US$24 billion in agriculture for Africa over 10 years – the largest ever such effort,” Adesina said.

The Feed Africa Strategy is supporting the development of policies, markets, infrastructure and institutions that will ensure that agricultural value chains are well developed and that technologies reach several million farmers across Africa.

According to the latest World Food Security and Nutrition data, the number of hungry people in the world had increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016. The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that Africa will add 38 million to its number of hungry people by 2050 as a result of climate change.

Adesina said that simple technical and scientific methods are already making a difference to farm yields and income in Africa.

“The release of water efficient maize varieties now allows farmers to harvest good yields in the face of moderate drought,” Adesina said.

“Today, rice varieties exist that can give yields of eight tonnes per hectare. Cassava varieties exist with yields of up to 80 tonnes per hectare. Heat tolerant and disease resistant livestock and technologies for ramping up aquaculture exist.”

Adesina said what is needed urgently is deployment of supportive policies to ensure technologies are cascaded down to millions of farmers.

https://citizen.co.za/news/news-afr...ture-investment-to-end-hunger-for-1bn-people/
 
#351 ·
Sahel region faces task of increasing crop yields to meet population boom

With their populations set to double by 2050, the Sahel countries – Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina-Faso and Chad – have to develop their agricultural productivity to feed their populations. EURACTIV France reports.

Alain Billand is the chief policy officer of the Environment and Societies Department at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD).

What is the situation with regard to agricultural production in the Sahel countries?

The Sahel is a transition zone between the Sahara and humid areas, such as the Ivory Coast. In this zone, the soil is poor and the temperatures are extreme, both in terms of heat and in terms of precipitation. Agriculture in the Sahel is therefore highly constrained and the windows for sowing seeds are very narrow, sometimes only a few days. This is a region where agriculture is not in an optimal situation. In order to deal with these conditions, local people have developed appropriate agricultural strategies. The term “resilience” is very strong in this region.

In addition to these natural factors, socio-economic factors also constrain Sahelian agriculture. The Sahel countries are among the poorest countries in the world, according to the human development index.

In this region, there are many challenges for farmers.

The Sahelian populations are, for example, very poorly equipped to deal with climate change. The planet is getting warmer on a global scale. In the Sahel, there could be an increase in temperatures in the warmest areas. These remain projections, as it’s a difficult region to predict because there is little data available. When it comes to rain, there is the risk there will be further concentration of the rainy season. So, systems will have to be found to collect water.

Moreover, Africa has around 1.3 billion inhabitants and should see its population double within 20-30 years. According to projections for 2100 – in other words, in three generations – the African continent will have around 5 billion inhabitants.

This demography will have consequences, particularly in the Sahel, where the demographic transition hasn’t really started yet. For instance, in Niger, the birth rate is reaching 7.6 children per woman. The country has one of the highest fertility rates in the world and is placed second-to-last on the UN’s human development index. So, we’ll have to educate, find jobs for, and also feed this population.

Is the food supply in the Sahel sufficient to respond to the population growth?

While the demography in the Sahel has increased, so has the quantity of food. In the Sahel, the agricultural production curve has increased in a roughly similar way to the increase in population. There isn’t a chronic deficit of food in the Sahel but there can be seasonal deficits, caused by climate or accessibility problems. Currently, the main obstacle to the food supply is not the lack of agricultural production, but a lack of accessibility and of funds. For a large proportion of the population, food remains too expensive. As for accessibility, the most glaring lack of food is being felt, for example, in the areas occupied by Boko Haram.

...



https://www.euractiv.com/section/development-policy/interview/sahel-region-faces-task-of-increasing-crop-yields-to-meet-population-boom/
 
#352 ·
East, West Africa lead continent's fertilizer uptake push

CAPE TOWN, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Africa’s annual fertilizer consumption is expected to reach 13.6 million metric tonnes of nutrient by 2030 from 7.6 mmt now, with East and West Africa fast growth areas as farmers look to boost crop yields, industry analysts CRU said on Tuesday.

The world’s poorest continent, which has vast tracts of uncultivated land and where most of the population are subsistence farmers, has traditionally lagged behind other regions when it comes to fertilizer use.

According to the African Development Bank, fertilizer consumption across Africa has marginally increased since 2010 from 25 to 27 kg per hectare of arable land, and from 12.4 to 14.9 kg per hectare for low-income African countries, less than one-twentieth of Asian and Latin American countries.

Fertilizer consumption in Eastern and Western Africa is likely to increase three to four-fold in the next 10 to 15 years,” said Peter Heffernan, head of global fertilizers and chemicals at CRU analysts.

Consumption in West Africa is forecast to more than double, rising to 4.6 mmt by 2030 from 1.9 mmt now, he said.

These two regions are the fastest growing fertilizer consumption hotspots in the world at the moment,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of an African fertilizer conference in Cape Town.

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote is developing a 1.5 million tonne fertiliser plant in Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos, which he expects to commission by the end of the year.

Singapore-owned Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Ltd is seeking to double its Nigerian plant annual output of urea fertiliser to 2.8 million tonnes, and plans to list in Lagos next year.

Other firms looking to the continent to expand their operations are Yara and Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden.

Previously when there was an apprehension by most smallholder farmers to apply fertilizer thinking it will damage their soil, that apprehension is no longer there,” said Ashish Lakhotia, chief executive of ETG Inputs.

https://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL8N1WB2VW?feedType=RSS&feedName=nigeriaNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 
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