Business Daily (Nairobi)
James Mwangi
7 May 2008
opinion
Kenya has a unique opportunity to stamp her sovereignty by achieving self- sufficiency in food production. We must insulate our people from the indignity of hunger and starvation.
When Dr Kenneth Boulding told a group of scholars at Iowa University that the factors of production are no longer land, labour and capital and asserted that the factor of production is indeed entrepreneurship, many disagreed with him yet this is what has become our gospel in the 21st Century.
In Kenya, we now appreciate that commercialisation of agriculture is the best way to boost agriculture, food sufficiency and reduce poverty among our people. Putting enough food on the table is a constant struggle for many households in Kenya.
China is effectively controlling export of fertiliser to ensure the needs of her country's planting season are met and that it curbs the rising trend of domestic fertiliser prices. China has also started to tax wheat exports at the rate of 20 per cent and maize and rice at five per cent.
Rice, the staple food for billions of Asians has soared to its highest prices in 20 years while supplies are at their lowest level since the early 1980s.
US, Canada and Brazil, driven by rising oil prices are pushing for production of bio-fuels from food grain as an alternative to hydrocarbons. Generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food.
This means Kenya cannot supplement its food supply from outside because there is a shortage or the prices are beyond reach. We must avoid a situation where we become statistical images of hunger and starvation on the screens of international media.
With the soaring global prices, food will soon be replacing oil, gold and diamond in fetching high prices. We can motivate our farmers to produce huge quantities of food and take advantage of the high global prices to export the excess and earn good incomes. With agriculture becoming rewarding, the lives of majority of our people engaged in agriculture will indeed be transformed.
The strategy to revitalise agriculture, mainly focusing on increasing productivity, promoting investment, and encouraging private sector was a well thought-out idea. It provides a perfect opportunity for financial institutions to network and come up with products and services that are relevant to the agro- producers who unfortunately fall under lower market end.
Let us all make Kilimo Biashara initiative a success.
Dr Mwangi is the CEO, Equity Bank.
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