Food security | Companies not to get left behind in foreign land ownership
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) — European companies have been told they must invest more in Africa’s agricultural sector to keep pace with growing interest from countries such as China and Brazil.
European Union farm commissioner Dacian Ciolos said the potential for growth in Africa’s farming sector is clear, considering it is home to a quarter of the world’s fertile land but only 10 percent of global agricultural output.
However, poor transport and storage infrastructure are among the factors holding back growth in the sector, which not only threatens the continent’s food security but also presents an opportunity for private investment.
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“This shows the importance for the European Union to be present in the food security debate and not turn its back on Africa, just as other parts of the world become more and more interested,” Ciolos said.
Greater private investment in African agriculture would also help fill the gap created by declining European public support for the sector, which has fallen by half since the 1980s, Ciolos said.
“Agriculture has been sidelined in favour of other political and economic priorities, despite the challenge of global hunger,” he said.
Rising global food demand in recent years has driven an increase in large-scale land investments in sub-Saharan Africa by foreign companies, which have been accused of land-grabbing with the help of compliant African officials.
Ciolos said governments and companies have a shared responsibility to ensure that any investment respects the rights of local communities to access land, and urged a focus on investing in small farmers, who account for 70 percent of total output.
