AFRICAN Farmers
have been told to use the current drought in the United States as a great
opportunity for them to export cash crops in the US and global market as consumers are prepared
for sticker shock, it has been learnt.
Speaking in an
exclusive interview in Dar es Salaam on Monday during the ongoing Annual Food
Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Dialogue Programme Network (FANRPAN)
Climate Change Programme Manager Dr Sepo Hachigonta said that the drought in
the US could be an advantage for African farmers to produce more food and cash
crops to feed the global market.
He said drought
in the US and the recent floods in Japan has the positive impact to African
farmers to cultivate more food crops to meet the existing global food demand.
“its a great
opporunity for Africans to grow by producing enough food to feed the global
market,” he said.
Dr Hachigonta
underscored that the drought in the US could accelerate food price around the
globe which will force consumers worldwide to dig much into their pockets
because of the worst drought that heat the US and its Midwest farm belt.
He further said
that those devastated crops will contribute to higher food prices in the months
ahead and the shock might not be limited which is an advantage for African
farmers to produce more cash crops to penetrate in the US market.
Dr Hachigonta
noted that African farmers need agricultural education extention on the proper
farming method during this era of climate change in order to cope with the
existing changes around the globe.
He noted that
food prices brought riots broke out in more than two dozen countries across
Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
On his part
Nkulumo Zinyengere from Lesotho University, he said that the climate smart
agriculture will develop a road map that will look in depth on how to address
effectively the recent drought in the US and its repercussion in the African
continent.
He said that
although the umbrella looks on the log term plans and strategy to tackle
climate change in forty years to come but the research impact will dwell on the
short term repercussion on climate change in Africa with the US reflection.
Zinyengere clarified that the umbrella will
continue to focus on the improvements of food security status in Africa as well
as sharping policies that will promote Public Private Partenship to foster
social and economic development.
The world Bank
estimates the rice, corn and wheat spiked in 2007-2008 pushed at least 130
million people into poverty.
Ends.
By Damas Makangale
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