African nations turn to South Africa for agricultural expertise

Hans van der Merwe

Bloomberg | 2 June 2010

By Carli Lourens

June 2 (Bloomberg) -- African nations are increasingly turning to South Africa to improve their own agricultural production and skills, according to industry group Agri SA.

About 20 countries from across Africa have approached Agri SA, South Africa’s largest farmers’ association, seeking to recruit commercial growers or learn skills from their neighbor on the continent’s southern tip, said Hans van der Merwe, executive director of Agri SA, in an interview today in Somerset West, near Cape Town. “We’ve been overwhelmed with this type of query.”

Agri SA, based at Centurion in the Gauteng province, said on Sept. 30 that local farmers have been offered as many as 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) of land to farm in the Republic of Congo by the government there, and another 35,000 hectares by Libya.

While African leaders and donors are committed to promoting growth and reducing poverty and hunger, their efforts are hindered by a lack of capacity, Shenggen Fan, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, wrote in a Feb. 1 report published on the website of the United Nations.

There’s been pressure over the past three years on African countries receiving assistance from finance institutions “to get their agriculture sectors started,” Van der Merwe said.

South Africa has held talks with some of the countries that have approached its farmers, including the Republic of Congo, Senegal, Uganda and Angola, he said. Agreements are needed to protect farmers who invest abroad before they start farming outside South Africa, Van der Merwe said.

Agri SA has about 70,000 members and lobbies for commercial farmers and related interests, according to its website.
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