Agriculture can transform African economies and stimulate economic growth, therefore the existing gap in development between the production and processing sub-sectors should be addressed, said John Mutorwa, minister of agriculture, water and forestry.
Speaking at a High Level Conference on the Development of Agro-business and Agro-industries in Nigeria this week, Mutorwa added: “Striking the development balance between these two sub-sectors is imperative, because broadening the agro-industry does not only have the potential to transform and diversify traditional agriculture, but it also possesses the ability to create more jobs and provide skills in the African economies.”
The conference in Nigeria comes after the Global Agro-Industries Forum (GAIF) and the High Level Conference on World Food Security.
It was aimed at promoting development of agri-business and agro-industries in Africa, given the food security threats resulting from rapidly changing food prices and the international financial crisis. Mutorwa said the development of the agro-industry will also benefit sectors such as transport, financing, packaging as well as retail.
“Despite the mentioned potential, the unpleasant reality is that for the past decades, the focus of our agricultural policies, programmes, strategies and investment has mainly been directed towards the development of the production side of agriculture.
“As a result, less attention was paid to the development and improvement of the competitiveness of the agri-business and agro-industry. This state of affairs prevented African countries from benefiting from the growing international demand for high value processed agro-industry products,” he said. Mutorwa  encouraged participants to use the conference as a tool to redirect policies and strategies towards the development of agro-businesses.
The High Level Conference was held from 8 to 10 March by the Nigerian government in association with the African Union (AU), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)agencies and the African Development Bank (AfDB).