Farmers Review Africa Jan/Feb 2019

Volume 7. Issue 1.January/February 2019

Coffee in East Africa and the threat of extinction Bayer maintains strong position in Access to Seeds Index P16

FARMERS

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Top SA citrus producer bumps up production by 40% in one year P23

The world needs a new diet P30

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F A R ME R S

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A F R I C A

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Volume 7. Issue 1.January/February 2019

Coffee in East Africa and the threat of extinction Bayer maintains strong position in Access to Seeds Index P16

FARMERS

REVIEW AFRICA

Volume 7. Issue 1. January/February 2019

Editor’s Note

News

Top SA citrus producer bumps up production by 40% in one year P23

The world needs a new diet P30

Please visit the website om wafrica.com

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CONTENTS

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Cover: Coffee in East Africa and the threat of extinction Executive Editor Lee Daniels editor@farmersreviewafrica.com Writers - Silimina Derick, Bertha M. Contributing Writers Nqobile Bhebhe Zimbabwe Oscar Nkala Botswana Bertha M South Africa Nita Karume Kenya Advertising Executive Russou Billiard, Cleopas M., Mkhululi K., East Africa Advertising Executives Mercy Cherono, Ken Tobby, Anthony Kiganda Project Manager Victor Ndlovu sales@farmersreviewafrica.com Graphic Design & Layout Faith Omudho Art Director Augustine Ombwa austin@arobia.co.ke Correspondents - Isabel Banda zambia@farmersreviewafrica.com Sales & Marketing Kholwani Dube Kholwanid@farmersreviewafrica.com Gladmore Ndhlovu gladmoren@farmersreviewafrica.com East African Liaison Arobia Creative Consultancy P. O. Box 2922-00200, Nairobi Kenya Tel: +254 772 187334, 790 153505 arobia@farmersreviewafrica.com eastafrica@farmersreviewafrica.com Published by Mailing Times Media +27 11 044 8986 sales@farmersreviewafrica.com

AGCO and Germany’s BMZ announce intention to co-operate in a new project.......................................... 03 Tunisia Trains first set of Drone pilots for agricultural productivity........................................................................ 07 Zimbabwe’s tobacco export earnings close 2018 at US $892m.............................................................................09

Events Agritech Expo Zambia celebrates 6th birthday in Chisamba in April....................................................................................... 11 Fairtrade launches agrofood Algeria 2019.........................................13

Features Bayer maintains strong position in Access to Seeds Index.......16 Grolite® improves fertilizer efficiency, promotes plant growth................................................................................ 19 Small-holder Farmers Need Access to Financing

H

appy 2019! We begin the year on a very high note looking forward to events such as the Agritech Expo Zambia, which will be celebrating its 6th birthday this year. As such, new features, country pavilions as well as more free training will mark this year’s event. Read on to find out more!

The January-February issue is all about food and ensuring sustainability in crop farming. Our main feature however, sheds light on coffee farming in the East Africa region, and why this crop is gradually becoming extinct.

There is also a very informative feature on pulses and why you need to incorporate the same into your diet. Even better is the recipe- for that extra nudge.

Finally, judging by the onset of technological advancements in the agricultural field from the past month, it is safe to say that the year looks promising in terms of getting sustainable solutions to prevalent issues in the agricultural sector.

across the Agricultural Value Chain....................................................... 20 Good rains lift crop production estimates....................................... 22

Nita Karume editor@farmersreviewafrica.com

Top South African citrus producer bumps up production by 40% in one year............................................................... 23 Coffee in East Africa and the threat of extinction........................ 25 The world needs a new diet......................................................................30 UNEP working towards boosting smart agriculture in Africa..........................................................................................32

Mailing Times Media (Pty) Ltd makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents of its publications, but no warranty is made as to such accuracy and no responsibility will be borne by the publisher for the consequences of actions based on information so published. Further, opinions expr essed are not necessarily shared by Mailing Times Media (Pty) Ltd

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January - February 2019 | 1

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NEWS

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NEWS

AGCO and Germany’s BMZ to co-operate in a new project to support farm mechanization in Sub-Saharan Africa Joining forces for a world without hunger

A

GCO, Your Agriculture Company (NYSE:AGCO) (www.AGCOcorp. com), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment and solutions, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to implement a joint agricultural project in Africa. The potential project is subject to further talks but the aim is to make measurable contributions to increasing agricultural productivity and skills development, thereby boosting income and employment in African rural households.

The LOI was signed in Berlin on 18 January by Martin Richenhagen, President, Chairman and CEO of AGCO, and Dr. Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development.

“We expect that the collaboration between the BMZ, an important institution for international cooperation on agricultural projects, and AGCO,

one of the world’s largest producers of farm machinery, to trigger significant synergies,” said Martin Richenhagen.

“We both seek to foster mechanization to facilitate sustainable agriculture.”

The mechanization activities of both the BMZ and AGCO are designed to contribute to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to eradicate extreme poverty and end hunger by 2030.

The Goals also aim to double the agricultural productivity of small-scale food producers, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices.

know-how and resources to be used for development policy goals. A world without hunger is possible if we join forces.”

AGCO’s newly-launched Farm in a Box initiative, which provides a package of essential farm equipment together with the crucial support mechanisms, is the company’s latest innovative solution to promoting farm mechanization in Africa.

“With the 2030 Agenda and SDG as a globally binding framework for action, cooperation between the German Development Ministry and the private sector is becoming increasingly important,” commented Dr. Müller.

The BMZ provides companies with financial and technical support for joint projects. The partnership enables companies to make effective and efficient contribution to the implementation of development objectives within the framework of their business activities. With its special initiative ‘One World – No Hunger’, the BMZ is a strong supporter of agriculture and rural development through its Green Innovation Centers in African and Asian countries.

“The close involvement of companies in joint measures enables private sector

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AGCO Corporation

January - February 2019 | 3

NEWS

DEVCO funds ICIPE

with boost in the fight against the fall armyworm in East Africa

T

he European Commission Directorate for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) has provided the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) with a boost in the fight against the fall army worm in East African countries.

According to media reports, the funding is aimed at strengthening the Nairobi- based centre’s efforts in the management of the pest, which is wreaking havoc in the region. This is following reports of aggravated a cereals shortage that has since seen prices shoot up.

In a statement from Icipe’s website, 20% of the contribution reportedly comes from the Centre’s core funds by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); UK Aid, from the government of the United Kingdom; the Ministry of Higher Education,

4 |January - February 2019

Science and Technology, Kenya; and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

According to Icipe’s Director of Research and Partnership Dr. Sunday Ekesi, efforts to fight and control the perilous plant pest through the use of conventional methods has proven to be complicated. This is including the use of insecticides.

He further explained that this is because the adult stage of the pest is most active at night. Moreover, it really does not help that the infestation is only detected after damage has been caused to the crop. Dr. Ekesi also noted that the destructive pest had a diverse range of alternative host plants that enabled its populations to persist and spread.

Since the pest was reported in Africa, the center had envisioned the development of a science-led, African-context specific sustainable integrated pest management package

for the fall armyworm. As such, and in partnership with various stakeholders, the Centre has initiated a range of activities, including capacity for early warning, rapid response and regional preparedness, and damage assessment across various ecologies.

The fall armyworm has been devastating maize and other crops in at least 43 African countries since January 2016. This has since placed at risk the food and nutrition security.

It has also jeopardized livelihoods of more than 300 million people.

The larval stage of the fall armyworm feeds on more than 80 plant species, including maize, sorghum, rice, wheat, sugarcane. The pest endemic to the Americas is also known to attack a variety of horticultural crops. The pest has thus become a major threat to food and nutritional security, trade, household incomes and overall economies.

NEWS

EAC officials meet to discuss the implementation of True-Fish project

This is following the failure of measures of the riparian countries around the lake to successfully manage the capture of fisheries and the steady decline of Nile perch and tilapia.

At the same time, aquaculture is yet to develop its potential and accounts for only 7-8% of the regional fish consumption. Considering population growth, increasing incomes and urbanization, overall demand for fish in the region is projected to increase substantially in the near future.

E

ast African Community (EAC) officials from Kenya Uganda and Tanzania are set to meet to discuss the grand five-year project-True Fish-that starts this year. According to media reports, the gathering of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sectorial Council of Ministers that starts on February 1 will be preceded by the Coordination Committee Session on January 31 and the Senior Officials Sessions on January 28 through 29, 2019.

In a press statement from the EAC

Secretariat, progress of implementation of the True-Fish project at Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) that covers the three countries will be deliberated during the meetings.

The five-year fish farming project runs from this year to 2024 under a US $11.5m that the European Development Fund will finance.

The project will be executed on, particularly, Lake Victoria Basin in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Liberian smallholder farmers receive World Bank funding

A

pproximately 17,500 Liberian smallholder farmers are set to receive US $25m in International Development Association (IDA) loan from the World Bank. This is in continuation to further increase the productivity of smallholder farmers for commercial purpose in the country. The funds will be disbursed under the Smallholder Agriculture Transformation and Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P) of Liberia.

According to media reports, the 5-year project is expected to increase agricultural productivity and commercialize a selected number of smallholder farmers for selected value chains such as rice, oil palm and horticulture. The smallholder farmers will be selected from Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Nimba and Margibi counties.

According to the World Bank release, 30% of the targeted beneficiaries of the STAR-P are female farmers.

However, some of the stipulations in place state that the beneficiaries of project services must be active resident smallholder farmers in the project locality. They must also be currently engaged in producing one of the targeted value chains and must be a member of a farmer-based organization (or willing to become a member).

These farmers will, accordingly, benefit from increased income accruing

Developing aquaculture to meet the demand for fish in the region is crucial, hence the European Union (EU) intervention to support EAC. In May last year, the EAC Secretary General Ambassador Liberat Mfumukeko called for EAC member states to allocate more resources towards the development of fish farming in the region as a solution to mitigate the declining fish stocks in the water bodies in the community. from productivity increases and improved access to markets for the sale of their products,” the release added. The STAR-P is aligned with the World Bank Group’s (WBG) twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. It is also in tandem with the emerging priorities of Liberia’s new administration as reflected in the government’s five-year Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

The project focuses on the economic empowerment of rural poor farmers, and will directly contribute towards increasing shared prosperity and helping Liberia tackle its worsening challenge of poverty. World BankLiberia Country Manager Larisa Leshchenko said that supporting agriculture with focus on enhanced private sector investment, and key value chains will ensure economic diversification, Pro-poor growth and boost food security.

January - February 2019 | 5

NEWS

Electronic trading system of soya bean and chickpea to enhance foreign trade transaction in Ethiopia

T

he Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) has embarked on electronic trading system of soya bean and chickpea for purposes of enhancing foreign trade transaction. The system is set to enable institutions to undertake the transactions in the electronic center that the previous transaction lacks.

The ECX CEO Wondmagegnehu Negera said that the new system will enhance ease of access to provide more service to farmers, suppliers, corporate and exporters. The system

6 |January - February 2019

will help to promote foreign exchange earnings for the country. It also could not have come at a better time since these agricultural commodities are needed at the international market.

Wondmagegnehu further disclosed that Ethiopia earned over US $91m from soya bean and chickpea last year.

According to Central Statistics Agency (CSA), on average 439,000 tons of chickpea and 76,000 tons of soybean have been produced. Of these, 54,000 and 58,000 are exported respectively over the last five years.

For purposes of enhancing its accessibility, ECX opened a regional electronic trading center in Hawasa.

The institution further pledged to open more centers and branch offices across the regions in the future.

According to media reports, the horse bean and Niger seed will join the electronic trading system in the next months, respectively. The modern trading system launched officially at the presence of Trade and Industry State Minister, Misganaw Arega and Ambassador Fitsum Arega.

NEWS

Tunisia Trains first set of Drone pilots for agricultural productivity

E

ight pilots have successfully passed their drone flight training in Tunisia following a two-week intensive training period organized by the Ministry of Agriculture of Tunisia, the African Development Bank (www.

AfDB.org) and Busan Techno Park.

The training which focused on handling, maintenance and the security aspects of flying drones, took place in Tunis from 19-30 November 2018. The eight were the first batch out of 40 candidates selected for the exercise, which envisages training a total of 400 young Tunisians by 2021.

The project will also see the setting up of a training centre equipped with training drones as well as computer simulation tools for drone control.

This centre is expected to be upgraded to a centre of excellence in drone technology. The training also focused on promoting drone-cantered activities in Tunisia in view of promoting efficiency and effectiveness.

“It is very good training. I want to

share my experience. I would like to participate in this project and contribute for the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in my country Tunisia and my region, Africa,” said Lazhar Meskine, an air traffic management engineer, who was among the trainees.

After accumulating 20 hours of flight time and passing the practical flight, they obtained a “Drone Pilot Certificate” recognised by the Tunisian government. The four best trainees from this first batch will undergo further training for eight weeks to accumulate 100 hours of flight time.

This will make them eligible to take the certification examination and qualify as drone pilot trainers.

The participants were highly enthusiastic about the training.

“I have also learned many things through Tunisian trainees. It gives us a great chance to understand the local situation for further projects by using drone technologies,” their instructor,

Mr. Yong-ju Seo, added.

The pilot project on the use of drones for agricultural development projects in the Sidi Bouzid region (https:// bit.ly/2EoVOWD) (central Tunisia), is financed by a grant from the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) (https://bit.ly/2rze2Nj), under the management of the African Development Bank and Busan Techno Park. Busan Techno Park has already tested the drones for efficacy in managing similar urban projects.

Korea (https://bit.ly/2EvaqV0) is a leading country in the development and use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for real-time data collection and processing.

Drones have been used in agriculture to provide fast and accurate data, helping to improve decision-making at all stages of a project, from preparation to implementation and evaluation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

January - February 2019 | 7

NEWS

Mozambique maintains ban on South African meat imports

T

he government of Mozambique is adamant on maintaining the ban on meat imports from South Africa.

This is following an outbreak of foot-andmouth disease in Limpopo province.

As such, Ms. Muchangos emphasized that the ban is continuing on the import of beef, pork and goat meat

According to media reports, the head of the department for the prevention and control of diseases in the Ministry of Agriculture, Anabela dos Muchangos, said that since the outbreak was detected in South Africa earlier on this month, they have been monitoring the situation with their South African counterparts. She further noted that so far they have not managed to overcome the problem.

from South Africa. Moreover, the only products from South African hoofed mammals that can enter Mozambique are those that have been treated in such a way as to completely eliminate the foot-and-mouth virus, such as pasteurized dairy produce and heattreated processed meats.

On the other hand, Muchangos said the South African outbreak should be seen as a great opportunity to stimulate sales of Mozambican meat. She also bemoaned the fact that Mozambican consumers seem to prefer imported produce to the Mozambican equivalent. She was however quick to attribute this to the relatively cheaper prices of the imports.

Muchangos said the authorities are stepping up vigilance to the border, ensuring that no South African animals or meat enters Mozambique. Foot-andmouth is a highly contagious disease that can devastate livestock herds.

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NEWS

Zimbabwe Finance Minister Backs calls for cannabis growth

Z

imbabwe Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has supported calls for Zimbabwe to grow cannabis for export purposes. This, he says, is to take advantage of the growing global legal marijuana market. This comes just months after legal marijuana has started gaining traction worldwide due to very high demand among consumers. This is coupled with increasing legalization of recreational or medical marijuana in various countries.

Zimbabwe has, for a while now, been struggling with serious foreign currency shortages which have lately manifested in acute fuel shortages. As such, Minister Ncube believes that the move would be a great opportunity. He also added that the government should move faster in giving licenses.

Recently, Canada legalized cannabis.

The move has since led many other countries around the world to consider either recreational or medical legalization. Argentina and Australia are amongst some of the recent countries to legalize medical cannabis, while European nations like the Netherlands and Italy are beginning to explore their options within the medical market.

and scientific purposes. Then health minister David Parirenyatwa explained individuals and businesses would be able to apply for licenses to cultivate cannabis for both medicinal and scientific use.

However, the plans were shelved later in the year with the government citing the need to first carry out feasibility studies. The global legal marijuana market is expected to reach US $146.4Bn by end of 2025. That is according to a recent report by Grand View Research.

A Canadian firm has since approached the Harare government with a proposal to produce the cannabis in the planned economic zones in a development that could earn the country about US $100m annually.

Early last year, Zimbabwe became the second African country after Lesotho to legalize marijuana for medical

Zimbabwe’s tobacco export earnings close 2018 at US $892m

32.2m kg of tobacco. Meanwhile, Belgium imported 17.6m kg of tobacco worth US $58.1m at an average price of US $3.30 per kg.

Z

According to media reports the UAE spent US $32.9m on 14.3m kg at an average price of US $2.29 a kg. A total of 65 nations including Turkey, Morocco, Yemen, Malawi, Botswana, Kenya, New Zealand, Cambodia, Ukraine, Croatia, and the United Kingdom were importing Zimbabwe’s flue-cured tobacco. In 2017, 66 countries consumed tobacco from Zimbabwe.

imbabwe’s tobacco export earnings reportedly closed 2018 at US $892m. This is from the cumulative 184.1m kgs exported to different parts of the world.

According to a statement released by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), last year’s crop was exported at an average price of $4.85 a kg. Moreover, the country earned US $904m from 182.4m kg exported across the globe at an average price of $4.96 a kg in 2017.

On the other hand, the latest data from TIMB further indicates that China, the major consumer of the flue-cured tobacco from Zimbabwe, spent US $449.7m from importing approximately 59m kg of the crop.

This was reportedly at US $7.61 a

kg. This was last year.

Similarly, in the same year, South Africa, Belgium, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia were among the top five consumers of flue-cured tobacco from Zimbabwe. South Africa spent US $100.8 million importing

Tobacco is one of Zimbabwe’s major foreign currency earners. As such, the Government has recognized the sector’s contribution to the economy.

This is as evidenced by the incentives the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has availed to boost the crop’s output. Last year, the Central Bank increased the tobacco input finance facility from US $28m I 2017 to US $70m this year.

January - February 2019 | 9

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Despite significant progress, productivity in the African continent is still below the other regions in the world and remains a primary concern. At present, one person in four on the continent still suffers from chronic malnutrition.

The situation will get worse over the next decades, considering that demographic growth in Africa, forecast at 1.3 billion additional inhabitants by 2050, will further increase the challenge to the African food system.

This is compounded by intensifying climatic changes which will put crops and animal rearing in peril and heighten food safety issues.

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10 |January - February 2019

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NEWS

Agritech Expo Zambia celebrates 6th birthday in Chisamba in April!

New features, country pavillions, more free training

“

Agritech Expo Zambia 2019 promises more agro technology and innovation advancements as the event continues to unveil the future for our agriculture” says Mr Jervis Zimba, President of the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU), the owners of the event that returns to Chisamba from 11-13 April 2019.

The success story as the largest agricultural showcase that is Agritech Expo Zambia is a great source of pride for the ZNFU. Last year the event featured several international pavilions again and a VIP attendance that included three cabinet ministers and the Zambian President Edgar Lungu who visited the event for the fourth year in a row.

Mr Zimba says the huge success of last year’s Agritech Expo in the face of numerous challenges, including the economic crunch and cholera and FMD outbreaks in the area, “showed that the organisers, the local partners and the government always manage to work together and towards excellence and year after year deliver an

outstanding product that has proven to be valuable and indeed unmissable for regional farmers of all scales, exhibitors and sponsors alike.”

This year the event at GART is expected to bring more than 20 000 visitors, over 220 local and international exhibitors, including international pavilions from Germany, Italy, UK and Zimbabwe to name a few, with 3500 VIP and large scale farmers and 150 members of the media. Agritech Expo Zambia is free to attend for all visitors that pre-register.

Agritech Expo Zambia will feature the following 16 industry featured zones: LIVESTOCK ZONE The Livestock Zone incorporates various breeders who display their livestock services, species of livestock including goats, cows and sheep, as well as animal feeds and veterinary services.

LIVE CROP TRIALS Visitors are able to view the yields of seeds from a variety of seed producers and

respective agro chemicals companies.

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT DEMOS The machinery demonstrations are always an exciting attraction at Agritech Expo Zambia and is a great display of versatility and capability by leading machinery suppliers.

CONSTRUCTION PARK The Construction Park is a welcomed addition to Agritech Expo Zambia and offers visitors a selection of quality construction equipment to suit their agricultural needs.

4X4 TEST TRACK The exciting and challenging 4x4 Test Track gives visitors the opportunity to test their skills or simply be driven around the track and experience the capability and manoeuvrability of highend utility vehicles.

ENERGY PARK The Energy Park was introduced in 2016 and offers innovative ways to get off the grid amidst the power crisis unfolding in the region.

January - February 2019 | 11

EVENT

INTERNATIONAL PAVILIONS Agritech has become an internationally acclaimed event, boasting over 39 countries being represented on site year on year. In 2019, Agritech Expo expects to feature more than 5 international country pavilions featuring products and solutions from global industry leaders. This will give attendees the opportunity to view and discuss products from outside their local market.

INDOOR EXPO TENT The indoor expo showcases a variety of local and international agri suppliers looking to expand their footprint in sub-Saharan Africa.

IRRIGATION ZONE The Irrigation Zone displayed a variety of irrigation systems and farming solutions, including centre pivot displays for commercial and small-scale farmers from leading industry suppliers.

CENTRE PIVOT DISPLAY Agritech Expo Zambia is the first agri focused event in Africa to showcase a live centre pivot as part of the show.

This will give commercial farming professionals the ability to see the different growth rates of various crops under centre pivot irrigation, which is an integral part of their farming practice and methods AGRITEACH TRAINING WORKSHOPS The technical workshops are presented by industry experts and focus on modernising small-scale farmers.

These workshops provide access to market information and innovations from the latest financial loan models to new agri solutions VIP LARGE SCALE FARMERS AGENDA Presenting commodity trade roundtable discussions, business matchmaking, networking function to link agribusinesses together. Exclusively designed for large scale farming enterprises that are ready to access new agribusiness ventures and markets.

12 |January - February 2019

SME ZONE The SME Zone is a cost-effective designed area for local based companies to participate in the event and to engage with farming professionals, without having to create a large display area BUSINESS ZONE A variety of dedicated companies offering a wide range of farming services, consultancies, equipment & technology, farming research and industry institutions as well as associations will be represented.

AQUACULTURE SHOWCASE Aquaculture is a growing market in Sub-Saharan Africa and Agritech Expo Zambia 2019 will showcase the region’s most prominent players in this field and will give the farming professionals attending the opportunity to learn more about this lucrative market and to explore new ways, in which to incorporate this practice into their farming operations.

NETHOUSE SHOWCASE Visitors can make their way to the Amiran stand where the team has constructed one of their unique nethouses. The technology and designs are state of the art and it certainly is worth a look! Visitors will also get a chance to meet friendly, knowledgeable staff and engage with them in a variety of discussions on various products and projects. You will see what they mean when they say that they are an agricultural solutions company!

New features for 2019: -LIVESTOCK DEMOS & WORKSHOPS Practical demos giving farmers a firsthand experience on how to best care for their livestock.

-LIVE PLANTING DEMOS These demos provide the opportunity for seed companies to practically provide a live training demo to feature the best way to plant seeds with the right mix of agrochemicals and

technology to attain solid yields.

-MORE AGRITEACH WORKSHOP ZONES Previously, AgriTEACH workshops were featured in a single workshop zone. In the upcoming edition, farmers will have the opportunity to attend multiple workshop sessions taking place across five different industry themes, allowing farmers a more focused and detailed knowledge building experience. Workshop zones will cover crops, irrigation, machinery and equipment, finance and livestock.

Industry support As in previous years, Agritech Expo enjoys extensive support from the agri industry with well-known suppliers Zamseed and SARO already confirmed as returning gold sponsors.

Multi-award winning Agritech Expo Last year Agritech Expo Zambia won its third AAXO ROAR award for Best Africa Bound Trade & Consumer Exhibition in the 12000+ sqm category at the AAXO ROAR Organiser and Exhibitor Awards in Johannesburg which honour excellence in the exhibition and events industry on the continent. In 2017 the event also won for Best Trade & Consumer Exhibition 12000+ sqm and for Distinction in Social Responsibility.

The expo has an outreach programme at the local Golden Valley Basic School, where, with the assistance of numerous event sponsors, it is assisting the school with much needed infrastructure upgrades, equipment supplies and management of the school’s farm.

Agritech Expo Zambia is owned by the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) and is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Townbased trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Another well-known agri event by Spintelligent is Farm-Tech Expo Kenya.

EVENT

Fairtrade launches agrofood Algeria 2019

at the brand-new Centre International de Conférences (CIC) in Algiers Algeria is Africa‘s and the Middle East‘s largest importer of food & beverage technology & Africa‘s second largest food importer Algerian agrofood market 480 million – Algeria is Africa’s and the Middle East’s largest importer of food & beverage technology, according to figures compiled by the German Engineering Federation VDMA – read more (https://bit.ly/2G1Bk7A) US$9.317 billion – Algeria remains Africa‘s second largest food importer (WTO) – read more (https://bit. ly/2HH3NkN) US$8.995 billion - The value of Algeria’s food & beverage production (FAOSTAT for 2016) agrofood Algeria benefits from … … fairtrade’s 20 years of experience in the Algerian market:

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LGIERS, Algeria, January 31, 2019/ -- With agrofood Algeria 2019, the German trade show specialists fairtrade (fairtrade-messe. de) and their German-Algerian team announce a new important trade show for Algeria and invite all interested parties from the world over to participate. Jointly developed with institutional partners and governmental bodies, agrofood Algeria reflects relevant priorities in key Algerian development policies, including the Five-Year Plan 2015-2020 and related sectoral plans. The event is to be held on 25 to 27 November 2019 at the brand-new Centre International de Conférences d‘Alger Abdelatif Rahal CIC in Algiers. (https://bit.ly/2G0saIz) Agrofood Algeria: Where Algeria‘s food & beverage professionals meet the world agrofood Algeria consists of four sub-events: food + bev tec Algeria

(https://bit.ly/2G1Bk7A), bakery + confectionery Algeria (https://bit. ly/2sZPptM), food ingredients Algeria (https://bit.ly/2RuMa7I) and food + hospitality Algeria (https://bit. ly/2HH3NkN).

fairtrade has been organising international trade fairs in Algeria since the year 2000. This makes the company one of the most experienced organizers of professional trade shows on the Algerian market.

Held under the motto: agrofood Algeria - Where Algeria‘s food & beverage professionals meet the world, the show wants to play its part in • increasing sustainable food and beverage production with a focus on the presentation of innovative techniques, recipes and ingredients for processing and packaging • increasing self-sufficiency with safe and high-quality food products • presenting of gastronomic concepts tailored to the constantly growing Algerian market

See plast alger (https://bit.ly/2DMGhis) & printpack alger (https://bit. ly/2Sl6pJa) featuring 261 exhibitors from 24 countries (https://bit. ly/2Rr0IoF) discussing business with 5,003 professional visitors from 29 countries in 2018.

Three key figures to characterize the

… a huge customer base and fairtrade’s experience with agrofood Algeria’s successful sister events: • Iran agrofood (https://bit. ly/2S0zLgV), which fairtrade has been organising for 25 years, most recently in July 2018 with 1,225 exhibitors from 29 countries (https://bit.ly/2HISXLr) and more than 40,000 visitors

January - February 2019 | 13

EVENT

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agrofood Nigeria (https://bit. ly/2Gbu1K6) agrofood Ethiopia (https://bit. ly/2CXWRdG) agrofood West Africa Accra (https://bit.ly/2Ru2ghL) & agrofood West Africa Abidjan (https://bit. ly/2WFxAxY) iraq agrofood (https://bit. ly/2WrZ0Y1)

Algeria – The economic powerhouse Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the most populous in the Maghreb region. With a GDP of US$ 188 billion in 2018 and estimated foreign exchange reserves (without gold) of US$ 85 billion at the end of 2018, Algeria is the economic powerhouse on the African continent – read more (https://bit.ly/2DLT4l2) Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Fairtrade Messe und Ausstellungs GmbH & Co. KG.

of partnerships throughout the world. fairtrade organizes shows in the sectors Agrofood, CIT Solutions, Energy, Industry and PlastPrintPack and strives for a high level of customer satisfaction.

Email: n.wagner@fairtrade-messe.de Website: www.fairtrade-messe.de Contact for exhibitors: fairtrade Messe GmbH & Co. KG Mr Paul März Managing Director Kurfürsten-Anlage 36 D-69115 Heidelberg Tel +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 13 Fax +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 25 Email: p.maerz@fairtrade-messe.de Website: www.fairtrade-messe.de Contact in Algeria: Ms Sihem Abzar Tel.: +213 661 695 543 Email: s.abzar@fairtrade-messe.de

Website: www.agrofood-algeria.com Pictures (https://bit.ly/2Wu03Xk) in high resolution can be requested by email (n.wagner@fairtrade-messe.de).

fairtrade - Valuable business contacts: fairtrade (fairtrade-messe.de) was founded by Martin März in 1991.

Media Contact: Contact for press and media: fairtrade Messe GmbH & Co. KG Ms Nadine Wagner Public Relations Kurfürsten-Anlage 36 D-69115 Heidelberg Tel +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 22 Fax +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 25

Since long, fairtrade ranks among the leading organisers of professional international trade fairs in emerging markets, especially in North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Managed by its shareholder and his son Paul März and committed to the values of a family business and the team spirit, fairtrade maintains a powerful network

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By means of innovative products and excellent service fairtrade organizes professional platforms for valuable business contacts between exhibitors and visitors. fairtrade is a member of UFI The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and AAXO The Association of African Exhibition Organisers. Our management is ISO 9001:2015 certified.

SOURCE Fairtrade Messe und Ausstellungs GmbH & Co. KG Multimedia content • Download logo • Link: fairtrade in English • Link: CIC in Algiers in English • Link: food + bev tec Algeria in English • Link: bakery + confectionery Algeria in English • Link: food ingredients Algeria in English • Link: food + hospitality Algeria in English • Link: German Engineering Federation VDMA in English • Link: Algeria remains Africa‘s second largest food importer (WTO) in English • Link: plast alger in English • Link: printpack alger in English

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January - February 2019 | 15

FEATURE

Bayer maintains

strong position in Access to Seeds Index

The former Monsanto Company was evaluated separately as the assessment was done before the acquisition by Bayer was completed.

Monsanto ranked number 7 on the Global Access to Seeds Index, and was especially noted for their efforts in the Governance and Strategy category by linking specific Sustainable Development Goals to the three pillars of its 2017 sustainability report and by setting corporate-wide targets for reaching smallholder farmers.

In addition, the former company’s participation in the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project led to smallholder farmers benefiting from the commercial release of 90 conventional WEMA hybrids in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

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ayer maintains strong position in Access to Seeds Index Bayer ranks number 3 on the global Access to Seeds Index published on January 28, 2019. The Index is an independent measure that evaluates 13 global seed companies based on their efforts to improve access to quality seeds for smallholder farmers. The companies’ activities were assessed in seven measurement areas across four focus regions: Latin America, western Africa, eastern Africa, and South and Southeast Asia in the period 2015-2017.

Since the Index’s launch in 2016, Bayer has consistently been recognized among the top three global companies.

This year, Bayer scored on par with Syngenta and was only outperformed

by Thailand-based East West Seed.

Commenting on the 2019 Index, Klaus Kunz, Head of Sustainability and Business Stewardship at the Crop Science Division of Bayer, said: “We are proud to rank among the world’s top companies in the global Access to Seeds Index. Improving access to seeds and agronomic know-how is critical in improving

16 |January - February 2019

farmer productivity and livelihoods and, ultimately, food security. As a business, and an industry, we strive to push ourselves to go further and faster in strengthening our current efforts.”

Bayer achieved consistently high scores across all seven measurement areas, taking leading positions in the fields of Capacity Building and Genetic Resources. Compared to 2016, the most significant improvement was on the overall Transparency indicator, where the company doubled its previous score.

Bayer’s commitment to addressing the needs of smallholder farmers is backed by strong practices, including the breeding and introduction of several locally adapted Arize™ rice hybrids, formalized inclusion of smallholder farmers in its seed production chain for several index crops, and a farreaching geographic presence coupled with tailored seed packaging and distribution practices.

Bayer is recognized for its multistakeholder initiatives such as its Food Chain Partnerships, Plant Breeders without Borders, Child Care Program and the Better Life Farming Alliance.

The Access to Seeds Index is published by the Access to Seeds Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The Access to Seeds Foundation is an ally of the World Benchmarking Alliance. The Index aims to encourage seed companies to step up their efforts to support smallholder farmer productivity. The index is based on publicly available information and a questionnaire that companies were asked to complete.

About Bayer Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture.

Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2017, the Group employed around 99,800 people and had sales of EUR 35.0 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.5 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

FEATURE

BI assists sugar industry

with essential maintenance in ‘off-crop’ season Leading supplier Bearings International (BI) assists its sugar-industry clients with essential maintenance and equipment upgrades of sugar mills, especially in ‘off-crop’ season

BI ensures that sugar mills perform at their optimal level

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I has been supplying industrial power transmission products to the sugar industry for the past 60 years. An area of expertise has been the design, selection, and supply of specialised chains for sugar mills in particular. “It is part of BI’s business ethos to view each client as a partner, and to assist where we can in keeping sugar-mill performance at the expected level,” BI Sugar Division Branch Manager Nick Allanson explains.

“As a supplier of sugar chain, bearings, and power transmission products to mills in KwaZulu-Natal, and several countries in Southern Africa, delivering on-time is critical. We as suppliers have to manage our stock and delivery according to the various requirements of the sugar mills. The production of

sugar cane is seasonal by nature and, as we know, climatic seasonality is not something we have control over, and it can vary from one year to the next.”

Through experience, BI has taken on the responsibility of carrying stock of chain components to ensure it has replacement chains and components available before the next season commences. Part of this partnership is assisting in determining when a client’s equipment requires replacement, or when it would be more cost-effective to refurbish.

“Refurbishment is carried out at our facility in Durban where we strip, inspect, and reassemble the chain using new components where necessary,” Allanson explains. “It’s

always a tight timeline, meaning months of advance planning.”

BI is the official distributor for SENQCIA Chain, formerly known as Hitachi, manufactured in Japan, and Ewart Chain, manufactured in England. Orders for new chains and components are placed months in advance, with sizes and quantities to suit the various conveyor carriers. BI also supplies ordinary transmission chain, bearings, industrial gearboxes, and lubricants for the sugar industry. On-site inspections throughout the year form part of its value-added service offering.

“Our ability to advise a client whether or not a particular component needs to be refurbished, or will run for another season, is vital in the industry,

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This strategy of helping to contain costs by getting longer life out of chain and refurbishing specific components where possible has made BI one of the most proactive companies in its industry. “For us, it’s all about assisting industry with risk management and lowest total cost of ownership,” Allanson highlights.

BI Sugar Division Branch Manager Nick Allanson

especially given the tight margins. It is expected of suppliers to the industry to assist in reducing the total cost of ownership. To this end, we have to be inventive about extending the life of components without putting the production capacity of sugar mills at risk,” Allanson points out.

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In supplying sugar mills in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, and Mozambique, a major facet of the BI offering is providing technical advice on power transmission products and equipment, and training the operators dealing with these components.

Technical training in these countries is very necessary for maintaining productivity of sugar mills, and empowering local communities to become more self-sufficient.

“The sugar industry itself identified a need for training its employees, but often there is a dearth of experience to conduct this. We believe in empowering sugar mills to carry out

basic installation and replacement where possible. However, we do visit our clients regularly, and can oversee installation where required.”

Allanson stresses that while growth was muted in 2018, there was a greater emphasis on environmental sustainability and opportunities. “Sugar mills typically generate their own electricity while the crushing season is in progress, and often have excess to their requirements, which in some countries is sold and fed into the national grid.”

Environmental sustainability is a major focus in the sugar industry at present, coupled with socio-economic goals to ensure that adequate job creation and training initiatives are in place.

“BI’s own social and environmental policies have much in common with that of the sugar industry. We therefore see ourselves as a partner aligned to the sugar industry, and look forward to a positive long-term future,” he concludes.

FEATURE

Grolite® improves fertilizer efficiency, promotes plant growth

Increased fertiliser efficiency, together with effective water drainage and optimal soil aeration, are essential for increased productivity in the horticultural sector. Grolite® from Pratley is a unique, naturally-occurring processed mineral used extensively as a horticultural growing medium.

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ratley Perlite Mining, part of the iconic Pratley stable of companies, which first brought its solutions to market in 1948, actively mines a mineral called Perlite at a unique deposit in South Africa. The ore is processed using proprietary technology to produce major products such as Grolite® for the farming industry.

It is a distinctive, naturally-occurring mineral employed as a horticultural or hydroponic growing medium. Grolite® allows for improved fertilizer efficiency, which boosts plant health and growth.

It also promotes water drainage, while retaining the required moisture, leading to healthier plants and increased crop yields. “In a water-scarce country

like South Africa, this is vital to horticulturists,” Pratley Marketing Director Eldon Kruger comments.

Tiny micropores on the surface of the Grolite® particles assist in capturing nutrients and water molecules. The capillary action occurring in the voids between the particles ensures uniform distribution of water and nutrients, which results in consistent crops.

Grolite® maintains optimal soil aeration, a critical factor in normal plant growth.

This is because the supply of oxygen to roots in adequate quantities is essential for healthy plant growth.

Grolite® is processed at temperatures in excess of 950°C, resulting in a

sterile product that is completely free of weeds and pathogenic microbes.

Unlike ordinary horticultural Perlites, the strong surface structure of Grolite® means it does not deteriorate during transportation or when being mixed.

This unique feature means hydroponic farmers, for example, can reuse the product for more than one season, increasing its cost-effectiveness.

Grolite® is available nationwide in various grade sizes to cater for specific blends. “Pratley experts are always on hand to discuss specific customer requirements, or to respond to any queries,” Kruger concludes.

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FEATURE

Small-holder Farmers Need Access to Financing across the Agricultural Value Chain

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an der Westhuizen says this is partly why the traditional reliance on grant funding from government sources or NGOs has not succeeded in creating real agricultural productivity gains on the continent. It has simply been too limited in scope.

Relying on commercial banks to solve the problem also has its limitations as their regulatory and fiduciary duties require them to adopt a risk mitigation strategy, which by its very nature limits the potential scope of clients to larger organisations with established track records. While this makes sound commercial sense it doesn’t necessarily achieve broader policy objectives of developing agriculture for food security, job creation and community welfare reasons.

“For a bank the risk profile of a commercial farmer is vastly different to that of a smallholder farmer. It makes more sense for them to lend to the end-customer of a group of smallholder farmers than each individual smallholder,” says van der Westhuizen. “If you’ve got a community of smallholder farmers growing barley for a brewery then it makes more sense for the bank to lend to the brewery who can then on-lend to the smallholders.”

Van der Westhuizen says there are

20 |January - February 2019

about 32,000 commercial farmers in South Africa of which it is estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 are responsible for producing roughly 80% of the country’s agricultural output. By contrast, on the rest of the continent smallholder farmer’s account for between 70% and 80% of agricultural output, which is often insufficient to meet their country’s nutrition requirements. This results in countries having to import food from abroad, often from heavily subsidised markets like the European Union, which makes it difficult for domestic farmers to compete on price.

This results in a situation in Africa, which is home to roughly 60% of the world’s available arable land but is still regarded as a food insecure continent.

This is partly due to lack of access to mechanised solutions such as irrigation equipment meaning as much as 90% of the smallholder farmers on the continent still rely on rain to water their crops. Improved farming techniques, access to better seeds and other mechanised equipment could further boost agricultural yields.

Van der Westhuizen says the integration of digital technology into agriculture represents a major opportunity for Africa. The emergence of the mobile phone as a popular communication tool, coupled with Internet-based solutions, could significantly boost access to financing for agricultural inputs across the value chain.

John Deere estimates that there are approximately 122 million electronic banking accounts in Africa, mainly hosted by mobile phone operators or home-grown payments and transfer solutions like Kenya’s M-Pesa. Van der Westhuizen says the electronic payment and receipt records of these accounts can be leveraged to harvest valuable client information which can then be used to create more accurate risk profiles of smallholder farmers by analysing their cash flow management, repayment histories and spending habits.

“The more accurate a picture you can build of the borrower the better you can price their risk, which boosts the likelihood of credit providers actually wanting to lend money to them,” says van der Westhuizen. “You could even use their expenditure on inputs like

FEATURE

fertiliser to estimate their approximate yields based on the size and quality of the land on which that fertiliser was used, and for which crops.”

smallholder farmers on the continent only have the capacity to farm around 10% of the land available to them at any one time due to a reliance on hand hoeing and rainfall.

Guarantee schemes such as those provided by USAID can further incentivise commercial lenders to provide financing to smallholder farmers. A project between USAID and Ghana’s Feed the Future programme, helped improve the livelihoods of 113,000 smallholder farmers by boosting the productivity of rice, maize, and soy cultivation thanks to the provision of such guarantees.

“You have to look at the entire supply chain financing arrangement from the seed and fertiliser right up to the tractor,” says van der Westhuizen.

“You can’t just sell someone a tractor and expect that alone to improve their yields. You need to sell an ecosystem, not just a machine, if you want to succeed in making the farmer a businessman.”

John Deere itself participated in a project in Tanzania where it helped smallholder barley farmers boost their output from half a ton per hectare to three tons a hectare thanks to mechanisation, better quality seed and better fertiliser. Van der Westhuizen says the enormous potential to boost Africa’s agricultural output is underscored by the fact that most

John Deere has dubbed this approach its S.M.A.R.T. programme: Solutions for small farmers, Mechanising for yield, Access to finance, Reliability for lower costs, and Technology and education. The company, which has 135 dealer contact points across Africa, is now exploring ways to better use technology to enable smallholder farmers to hire tractors on a short-

term basis. By utilising telematics and the Internet of Things (IoT), owners of the asset can then monitor its use via a small tracking device installed in the vehicle. This data is uploaded to the cloud for further analysis by financiers, insurance providers and other stakeholders.

“By thinking laterally and by utilising better information through the power of technology we can build financing models that price risk more competitively, resulting in better repayment terms for the borrower,” says van der Westhuizen.

“As we improve our risk pricing models and adapt them for the unique circumstances of Africa, we can also improve the likelihood that lenders actually want to lend, which in turn them makes it possible to boost access to financing for inputs across the entire agricultural value chain.”

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Good rains lift crop production estimates

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fter a slow start to the 2018/19 summer crop season with severe dryness during December 2018 in the growing areas particularly in parts of the North West and the Free State, conditions rebounded early in January 2019 as good rains provided the much-needed moisture for planting.

Farmers proceeded to plant and although some have reportedly planted beyond the planting window in the west which put them at risk of frost damage.

The latest National Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) report indicates that

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As expected, the Mpumalanga (MP) planted area estimate came in 2% higher y/y mainly due to a 7% increase in white maize area. Yellow maize area for MP is up 1% y/y and still accounts for the biggest share (70%) maize area in MP. Oilseed crops were however the biggest losers with soybeans and sunflower area falling by 5.5% y/y and 26% y/y respectively at 444,00 ha and 743,600 ha.

Paul Makube, Senior Agricultural economist FNB Agribusiness

farmers have planted 2.27 million ha of maize this season, which is slightly down by 2.2% year-on-year (y/y).

Of the three major producing provinces, the biggest decline is in the Free State (FS) with a 5% drop in planted area. Surprisingly, the North West (NW), which accounts for 21% of the total country area under maize, has surprisingly raised its area planted by 1% year-on-year (y/y) to 487,000 ha.

Both the FS and the NW experienced severe dryness during December 2018 which raised fears of a significant drop in output for the 2019/18 production season.

While the drop in maize area was expected given the bad conditions towards mid-season, the figures were much better than earlier market expectations. This might bring a total crop of closer to 12 million tons of maize, enough to meet the country’s annual consumption if conditions improve further in the near term.

Considering the huge carryover maize stocks of 3.2 million tons, supplies will remain adequate for the year ahead.

The implications are for a further limited upside for grain prices and positive for inflation outcomes in the months ahead.

The short to medium term weather outlook still calls for rains across the producing areas which bodes well for the developing crops and a good finish to the 2018/19 summer crop season.

FEATURE

Top South African citrus producer bumps up production by 40% in one year

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top South African citrus producer not only managed to bump up its production by 40% through new acquisitions this year but also bolstered its successful black workers’ economic empowerment programme in the process.

“Good market foresight which ensured a constant growth in demand for our products with established retailers world-wide is key to our success.

This enabled us to make a big move and acquire four new farms in the upper Olifants River Valley, the prime production area of Citrusdal oranges, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. This will increase our output from 22,000 tonnes in 2018 to over 30,000 tonnes this year,” says Gerrit Jnr van der Merwe, MD of ALG Estates.

“We are especially proud of the fact that our black worker’s successful agricultural empowerment project benefitted from this move as one of the new farms purchased actually belongs to them now. This will effectively increase their own production by 100% over the previous season. Their produce is marketed by us as part of the ALG Estates total citrus offering to the market.

“We recognized the importance of doing the difficult things first and do it well and, therefore, over the years, consistently worked on increasing the range of our citrus basket which now boasts 41 different varieties. At the same time we realized we had to stretch our production season as far as possible and also systematically established

orchards in different climate zones.

“Our different production units are now as far as 200 km (120 miles) apart covering mountainous areas, temperate sea climate zones and the traditional hot regions in the Upper Olifants River Valley near Citrusdal. All in all it means that we have stretched our bulk production season from May to October yearly but can effectively supply citrus for the full 12 months of the year,” says Gerrit Jnr. His optimism is shared by the Estate’s Marketing Manager Hendrik Warnich, who on the eve of his annual visit to Fruit Logistica the world’s largest Fresh Produce Expo in Berlin in February says: “For the last few years we have seen a good increase in specific retailer shelf space turnover where ALG has been trusted with the majority of the supply. The main reason for this is that we have the different climatic production areas as well an extensive variety split to always supply fresh citrus such as Easy Peelers, Lemons, Limes and various types of oranges.

This enables us to supply citrus at their optimum ripeness with consistent good eating quality on a daily basis to the leading retailers of the world.”

The Estate’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) agriculture program is one of the best performing projects of its kind in South Africa and the envy of many farmers countrywide. Founded as a separate company Cedar Citrus (Pty) Ltd in 1999 with 32

farm workers as partners a total of 36 hectares of citrus were established with a start-up loan from the South African Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). This unit is managed by a Board consisting mainly of the farm workers and farmed by the Estate exactly as any other of their production units which sees that their produce get exported world-wide. The project started making a profit in 2010 and paid off its start-up loan to the IDC in 2012.

Last year the Cedar Citrus partners jointly decided to plough back their profits and extended their operations by purchasing additional farmland to plant more citrus for the export market. An additional 56 hectares of adjacent farmland has therefore been purchased on which 20 hectares of new citrus orchards were established. These orchards will come into production by 2022 and add additional impetus to their growth.

ALG Estates has been an accredited member of Fair Trade for the past eight years. Fair Trade subsidies earned through this relationship are ploughed back into upliftment projects for its farm workers such as school education and sport projects. The Estate also qualifies for the Dutch Milieukeurmerk, the South African Woolworths Group’s Farming for the Future and adhere to the United Nations’ International Food Safety (IFS) standards.

The Estate won the title National Farmer of the Year in 2010, South Africa’s most coveted agricultural award.

January - February 2019 | 23

FEATURE

Sustainability is in Our Sights.

KSB has been providing pumps and valves for more than 50 years to the farming community and other industries in South Africa. Our pumps and valves help farmers to get the water where it is needed. Whatever the agricultural application, KSB has the answer.

Irragtion pumps are used to pump water from a lower to a higher level from which the water then flows through channels to the fields requiring irrigation (lift operation) or to raise it to the required pressure head so that it can be sprayed on the fields via piping systems (sprinkling). The heads involved range from approximately 1 m for normal lift operation to 40 m for sprinkling. In special cases, heads exceeding 100 m may be required.

KSB Pumps and Valves (Pty) Ltd www.ksbpumps.co.za tel: +27-11-876-5600

> Our technology. Your success.

Pumps• Valves• Service

24 |January - February 2019

FEATURE

Coffee in East Africa and the threat of extinction

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cientists have warned that climate change and deforestation are putting more than half the world’s wild coffee species at risk of extinction.

This is including the popular commercial coffees Arabica and Robusta.

In a research that was published earlier on this week experts at Britain’s Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew found that current conservation measures for wild coffee species are not enough to protect their long-term future.

Aaron Davis, head of coffee research at Kew is of the opinion that targeted action is urgently needed in specific tropical countries. This is more so the case especially in Africa and

particularly in forested areas which are being hit hard by climate change.

He further noted the findings were not just important for coffee drinkers, but for the countries that rely on coffee for the bulk of their export earnings as well. Currently, it’s estimated there are 100m people producing coffee in farms around the world.

Moreover, around 15m Ethiopians are involved in coffee production and annual exports have an estimated value of US $1Bn. Through the use of computer modelling, the researchers have found that the coffee has a bleak future, with the number of locations where it grows decreasing by as much as 85% by 2080.

The researchers, whose work was published in the journals Science Advances and Global Change Biology, said their findings are a concern for Ethiopia in particular. This is because Ethiopia is the natural birthplace of wild Arabica coffee and Africa’s largest coffee exporter.

East African coffee growers Over the past few years, Ethiopian, Kenyan and Ugandan coffee farmers have been suffering from low coffee prices. As such, they have been unable to make ends meet. To produce good quality coffee, Ethiopian farmers grow their finest coffee under the shade of native trees.

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This practice has been ongoing for decades and it allows the coffee berries to retain moisture until the time for their harvest. Failure to this the coffee bushes produce inferior quality beans which are bitter tasting. The country consumes most of its coffee with the other half being exported to its major markets overseas. Ethiopia exports to China were valued at US $88.69m during 2016, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

In Kenya, most coffee farmers have uprooted their coffee paving way for real estate development which they feel is more rewarding. According to media reports, coffee factories in the larger Mount Kenya region are closing due coffee hawking, increasing debts, and mismanagement and low prices offered to farmers.

Moreover, lack of government support in farming and exporting coffee has also

26 |January - February 2019

seen Kenya’s coffee earnings drop by approximately US $13m in the six months to March 2018. That is in comparison to a similar period in 2017.

Moreover, exploitation by middlemen also caused farmers to shy off from the produce and the effect of this was decreased coffee at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) auction.

In 2017, for instance, the auction recorded 31m kg as at August which was 4m bags less sold over a similar window in 2016.

Meanwhile, coffee growers in Uganda have been hoarding their stock until global prices improve. This has proven to be quite the problem since global prices have continually been on a decline with the International Coffee Organization (ICO) saying coffee prices for all coffee groups fell in June 2018.In Uganda, low coffee prices have been eating into farmers’

pockets, forcing the producers to hold onto their produce in the hope that prices will get better.

Take home Starbucks is one of a number of global coffee purveyors, including Tim Hortons, Neumann Gruppe, and Gustav Paulig, that are part of “the initiative for coffee and climate,” a partnership with NGOs and other organizations. The partnership, according to a report by the Climate Institute in Australia, seeks to provide framers with training and tools to better respond to climate change.

The report goes on to explain that in addition to offering coffee farmers financial incentives for reducing carbon emissions, the initiative works with growers to better adapt their crops.

This is including the development of more resilient production systems, diversification of crops, and the shifting plantations upslope.

FEATURE

Global seed companies are addressing climate change and nutrition needs but reach only 10% of the world’s small farmers • • • •

Access to Seeds Index shows seed industry making slow progress in key regions, including Africa Thailand’s East-West Seed leads the way, followed by Syngenta and Bayer Lack of crop diversity a major constraint; hybrid seed dominates while legumes largely ignored Tanzania, South Africa and Kenya benefit most from investments in local seed business activities

Amsterdam, the Netherlands, January 28, 2019 – Global seed companies are adapting their products to combat the impact of climate change and address nutrition needs. But limited access to quality seed in many emerging economies persists, with the global seed industry reaching just 10% of the world’s smallholder farmers, according to a new study.

The Access to Seeds Index 2019 – Global Seed Companies, published by the Amsterdam-based Access to Seeds Foundation, evaluates the activities of the 13 leading global seed companies to shine a light on where the industry can do more to raise smallholder farmer productivity, improve nutrition and mitigate the effects of climate change through the development and dissemination of quality seed.

The research shows that sales by the 13 global seed companies only reached around 47 million of the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers in 2017, and most investment went to a small number of countries, mostly in South and Southeast Asia.

In these regions, global companies invest heavily in local seed business activities: 12 of them in breeding and 12 in production. In contrast, such activites are rare in Western and Central Africa, with only two companies investing in local breeding and one in production.

“Although the industry is making advances in developing more nutritious and climate-resilient varieties, it’s clear that more needs to be done,” said Ido Verhagen, executive director of the Access to Seeds Index. “Material changes won’t be possible without reaching a greater percentage of smallholder farmers, who account for the lion’s share – 80% – of global food production.”

Shaping business models around the needs of smallholder farmers can be profitable, as shown by East-West Seed, a Thailand-based company that tops the index thanks to a strong performance across all areas assessed.

It has a unique smallholder-centric approach and a customer base made up almost entirely of smallholders (98%). Switzerland’s Syngenta and Germany’s Bayer are virtually tied in second and third place. Reaching more smallholder farmers and directing

investment to other geographies are critical to tackle rising malnourishment.

The number of people suffering from hunger rose from 784 million in 2014 to nearly 821 million in 2017, in part because of a lack of access to nutritious food.

However, only six of the 13 global seed companies state that nutritional value is a priority for their breeding programs. Although this is higher than the four companies identified in 2016, when the first Access to Seeds Index was published, progress is slow.

The importance of developing improved varieties of seed, offering better nutritional value and supporting crop diversity is echoed in a recent report by the EAT–Lancet Commission.

The global seed industry can do more to address this need for diversification by supplying a larger number of crops and varieties, including legumes and local crops, which are currently neglected.

The index also reveals a sharper focus on climate change. Of the 13 companies evaluated, 12 emphasize that increased yields and higher tolerance to climate and weather risks are essential when breeding.

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This is reflected in increased breeding for climate-resilient field crops and vegetable varieties since 2016.

By broadening their offering, including the provision of farmer training and other services such as weather-based crop insurance, seed companies have found new ways to help farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Eight companies are now integrating sustainability strategies at the corporate level, compared to three in 2016.

The Access to Seeds Index 2019 – Global Seed Companies is one of the first Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) benchmarks published by the World Benchmarking Alliance.

The alliance was launched in September 2018 during the UN General Assembly in New York. The Access to Seeds Index was established with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Government of the Netherlands. The global index is

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complemented by regional indexes that provide in-depth analysis of South and Southeast Asia, Eastern and Southern Africa, and Western and Central Africa.

“The private sector is essential for achieving food and nutrition security, one of the major challenges outlined by the SDGs. With the world’s population rising – and hunger with it – amid growing concerns around the environmental impact of crop

production, the role of the global seed industry remains crucial if Zero Hunger (SDG 2) is to be achieved by 2030,” said Verhagen.

United Nations: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT– Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems

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The world needs a new diet

F

ebruary 10, 2019 will be the firstever World Pulses Day, a global event to celebrate pulses worldwide and continue the important gains made with 2016 International Year of Pulses.

“As more and more research shows the health benefits of eating a predominantly plant-based diet, countries are starting to change their recommendations on what people should eat,” says clinical dietician Nicole Sacks.

“Canada has just released its dietary guidelines, which advise ‘regular intake

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of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein-rich food – especially plant based sources of protein’. This is a huge step forward in educating people that they do not need to eat animal protein to be healthy,” she comments.

“Eating pulses on a regular basis has been shown to benefit health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes as well as certain cancers. Pulses include peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas and are an essential part of a plant-based diet.

“They provide important nutrients that can easily replace the nutrients found in meat with none of the cholesterol or saturated fat. Pulses are rich in fibre, which is beneficial to weight management and a very important nutrient for human health.

The carbohydrates found in pulses are the fermentable kind that can increase the good bacteria for a healthy gut.

Pulses contain important vitamins and minerals like potassium, folate and iron,” says Sacks, who switched to a plant-based diet five years ago.

Adds Dean Miller, Group Marketing

Manager AGT Foods Africa, “When it comes to sustainability, an article published in the Guardian in May 2018 confirms that avoiding meat and dairy is the ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth.

“The research shows that without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75% and still feed the world. Eliminating or even reducing the amount of meat you eat has a far bigger impact on greenhouse emissions than cutting down on your flights, switching off lights, taking quick showers or buying an electric car. Beef results in up to 105kg of greenhouse gases per 100g of meat, while tofu produces less than 3.5kg. Pulses and peas come in even lower,” he says.

AGT Foods Africa is a value-added pulse, staple food and ingredient processor for export and domestic markets. Through its offices and processing facilities located in some of the best agricultural growing regions in the world, AGT produces a full range of pulses and specialty crops including lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans and as well as food ingredients such as pulse

flours, proteins, starches and fibres and spices.

Here is a delicious and easy to make Vegetarian Bean Chilli. Make this recipe on 10 February for family and friends and join in the fun on World Pulses Day. You can also participate in World Pulses Day by linking to LovePulses and using the hashtag #worldpulsesday and/or #LovePulses.

Vegetarian Bean Chilli Serves 6-8 Ingredients 1 cup lentils, prepared as per pack instructions 2 cups beans of choice, prepared as per pack instructions 2 tablespoons oil 1 onion, diced 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced 1-3 tablespoons chilli powder (according to taste) 2 tablespoons cumin 1 teaspoon chilli flakes 2 red peppers, diced 2 medium carrots, diced 3 celery stalks, diced 2 cans of whole tomatoes and their juice, crush the tomatoes

2 cups corn 2 teaspoons salt Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, coriander, diced avocados or green onion.

Method Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add onion and sauté for about 3 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

Add chilli powder, cumin, oreganum and chilli flakes and stir.

Add the red pepper, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and juice and bring to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to low with the lid off and continue to cook the chilli, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.

Add lentils, beans and corn and let the chilli return to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Add salt.

Serve on its own or topped with some of the delicious toppings.

Here’s a list of topping options: Grated cheddar cheese Sour cream or crème fraîche Sliced or diced avocado Tortilla chips (crumbled if desired) Additional coriander Lime wedges

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UNEP

their post-harvest losses and obtained higher prices. This is while at the same time creating a market opportunity for solar drier suppliers.

working towards boosting smart agriculture in

Africa

Similarly, the local government in Uganda’s Kingdom of Buganda has won a US $141m contract for its farmers to supply cassava to Uganda Breweries. Previously, a major challenge was to provide a regular supply of quality cassava. Now, solarpowered micro-irrigation is being used to enhance yields. Moreover, solar driers are helping to preserve surplus crops for later use. Presently, several hectares have been set aside in Busiro County to produce cuttings for use in all 18 of the Kingdom’s counties.

The above are but two examples of smart agriculture achieved thanks to innovative partnerships, fostered

by UNEP and its partners under the Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA) initiative set up in 2015.

U

nited Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and its partners are working in Africa to boost smart agricultural production in Africa. This will not only create jobs but will also serve to counter climate unpredictability.

For instance in one of Cameroon’s communes solar driers have been used since early last year to dry cassava and store it for longer. This has allowed farmers to get better prices compared to before when they were forced to sell quickly at low prices. However, since the inception of the initiative, over 500 cassava farmers have reduced

Richard Munang, Africa regional climate change coordinator with UNEP has said that such interventions provide important lessons for farmers across Africa. EBAFOSA promotes renewable energy investments, including the expansion of electricity access in rural areas. The Assembly also promotes food security and socioeconomic development by reducing post-harvest losses estimated at around US $48Bn in Africa.

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