TANZANIAN-BASED Food Trade East and Southern Africa (ESA) project has partnered with Alliance for Commodity Trade in East and Southern Africa (ACTESA) and TechnoServe to improve trade in grains and staple foods in the region under programmes dubbed ‘seed harmonisation and soy value chain.’
The US$2 million seed harmonisation project to be implemented in seven countries, which include Zambia, Burundi, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Uganda, over a five-year period will assist ACTESA, a specialised agency of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to facilitate national adoption of seed trade regulations in the region.
COMESA assistant secretary general Kipyego Cheluget said trade in agricultural produce remains the main activity in the region yet, the agriculture sector continues to be hampered by low productivity due to poor access to improved inputs.
“To date, the volume of intra-regional trade has grown over five-fold to over US$20 billion a year [and] it is worth noting that the significant amount is in agricultural products and related value chains.
“[However], agriculture is hampered by various challenges including low productivity and at market level, farmers are faced with shrinking margins and profitability owing to post-harvest losses,” Dr Cheluget said in a speech read for him by director investment promotion private sector development Thierry Mutombo at the launch on Friday evening.
He said lack of quality and improved seed has significantly contributed to food insecurity and poverty in the region particularly, among small-scale farmers.
Dr Cheluget said the projects will, therefore cushion the challenges faced farmers and players in the staple foods market.
On the other hand, TechonoServe will also strengthen the soy value chain in the region.
“It is hoped that the soy value chain initiative will help in enhancing the supply and demand for data on soy beans stock levels for price discovery in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, as a means to improve market linkages between soy beans market actors and to strengthen the capacity of market players to access and use export information,” he said.
At the same occasion, ACTESA seed expert John Mukuka said the seed harmonisation project will target among other seeds, maize, wheat, sorghum, millet, beans and soy beans.
Source - https://www.daily-mail.co.zm
