Agri Summit held to discuss food security
Food security is expected to top the agenda of the three-day Provincial Agricultural Co-operatives Summit which is being held in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, from today, Tuesday 27 May 2008.
The summit comes against the backdrop of the current high food prices around the world resulting from high oil prices and other commodities.
The summit aims to strengthen agriculture in the province and ensure that vulnerable communities continue to benefit from the Department's Food Security Programme.
Also under discussion at the summit will be markets and exports, value chain market opportunities in European Union countries and the role played by agriculture stakeholders in ensuring food security.
Delegates will also deliberate on challenges and opportunities for the micro-financing of rural co-operatives and other funding mechanisms.
International input
International experts on agriculture from both Africa and Europe will deliver papers on best practices and present successful models of agricultural co-operatives.
MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Mtholephi Mthimkhulu said they had been tasked with fighting the scourge of poverty and therefore it was up to them to institute measures that will mitigate the unintended consequences of the food price crisis.
He said the department had on-going Food Security Projects aimed at providing livelihood means to vulnerable communities particularly in the rural areas.
“This is also aimed at creating sustainable agricultural small-macro-medium enterprises (SMME),” he said.
Supply and climatic assessment
Cabinet has set up an Inter-Departmental Task Team to conduct an analysis and identify the factors contributing to high food prices.
The task team will assess the low availability of grains worldwide; unfavourable climatic conditions for the production of grain in major grain producing and exporting countries and trade restrictions which were imposed by major grain exporting on countries such as Argentina.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture is urging people across the province to establish food gardens in their backyard to fight the escalating food prices.
In Limpopo, the Department of Agriculture is also spearheading a campaign against the lack of knowledge about food safety, nutrition and household production.
This is to ensure that residents are taking their responsibilities to produce basic food in their backyard gardens and food plots or community gardens to lessen the impact of high food prices.
Article published courtesy of BuaNews
