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East Africa: Food Crisis High on EA Summit's Agenda
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The New Times (Kigali)
30 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
Edwin Musoni
Kigali
The East African Community (EAC) Heads of State who have been attending the ninth summit of the bloc, have raised their concerns over the rising food prices, and proposed several solutions to the problem.
In a joint communiqué issued at the end of the Summit, Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda highlighted the challenges and opportunities brought about by the rapid increase in food prices.
"The Summit recognises the need to seriously address the problem of low productivity including effecting robust interventions in areas of policy, technology, capital and supportive infrastructure to boost agricultural development," the communiqué reads in part.
"Many parts of the world and developing countries in particular, are currently engulfed in a grave food crisis; prices of basic foodstuffs - rice, milk, wheat, potatoes, maize and vegetables - which are staple requirements of the people, are escalating beyond affordability.
It is a situation that threatens the social stability of many countries, the developed included." The Heads of State cited declining agricultural productivity caused largely by the vagaries of weather, high energy prices, and inefficient transportation systems as the main cause of increase in the prices of foodstuffs.
"Moreover, climate change has aggravated the food crisis. In addition, the heavy subsidies given to European and US farmers undermine the incentives for our farmers to boost agricultural production," the communiqué adds.
It went on to say that the food price crisis was an opportunity for countries in the region to increase production "which would not only foster greater food security but also leverage exports and the development of the bio-fuel industry."
The five Heads of State directed the EAC Secretariat to liaise with the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the African Union as well as the NEPAD food security programmes to develop a comprehensive policy response to this food crisis. They also called for concrete measures to boost agricultural production.
Meanwhile, before the EAC Presidents adopted a common ground on the food crisis, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni welcomed the crisis, saying that it was a blessing in disguise for his country.
Museveni said that farmers in his country have an opportunity to supply more to the market but still cannot export enough. But the African Union Chairman and President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete differed from his Ugandan counterpart, and said that African nations needed to jointly address the food crisis issue.
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Kikwete emphasized that for Africa to overcome the crisis, there was urgent need to improve infrastructure, empower technological advancement to ease communication and provide farmers with advanced agricultural methods to increase their production.
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