AGRICULTURE
WANDILE SIHLOBO: Rest of Africa must follow SA’s lead to feed her children
SA’s record output calls on the rest of Africa to embrace genetically modified crop technology
October 16 is World Food Day, and unlike last year, when SA was in the midst of a drought and food prices were on an upward trajectory, this year, there are positive developments. The most recent data from the International Grains Council show that sub-Saharan Africa’s 2016-17 maize production increased by 15% year on year to 65-million tonnes, a record in a data set dating from the 2000-01 production season. Other crops such as soybeans, sunflower seed and vegetables also recorded a notable uptick, leading to a deceleration in food inflation in countries such as SA, Zambia and Botswana. However, the picture is not all rosy — there are disparities across sub-Saharan Africa. The uptick in agricultural production was mostly in Southern African countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and SA. East African countries suffered agricultural yield losses due to persistent drought during the 2016-17 production season. For instance, Kenya’s food inflation has remained in double digits — 11....
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