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Agro-processing is assured when farmers have market for their produce
Uganda: The dilemma of private investments in agro-processing
I have watched and listened to President Museveni’s passionate appeals to investors to go for agro-processing.The only way forward for our farmers is value addition through crop agro-processing. However, the critical issue which has not attracted the required level of debate is: Should the agro-processing..... 0 comments

Africa: $21m sweet potato project to aid food security, nutrition
The International Sweet Potato Centre has launched a $21.25 million research project in Uganda that will develop nutritionally enhanced sweet potatoes, in a project to reduce health problems related to vitamin A deficiency and improve food security in sub-Saharan Africa.Vitamin A is necessary for good..... 0 comments

Year of truth for Canary Island lettuce and tomatoes?
This season is important for growers and exporters of lettuce and tomatoes in the Canary Islands. The last two seasons were difficult as a result of rising transport costs, rates of exchange and quality problems. Steve Cornwell of SpanishFresh calls this season: "The most important ever. Last year our supply..... 0 comments

Uganda to post highest growth in the region
Two weeks to the signing of the Common Market Protocol, East Africa’s economic growth is projected to recover following a bumper food harvest in Uganda and prudent economic policies that have helped the region reduce its public debt.Experts say Uganda could register the highest growth in the region after the..... 0 comments

SA: Woolworths changes the way fresh produce is grown
Woolworths, together with its produce farmers, is pioneering a new way of farming fresh produce that improves soil and plant health, preserves scarce water resources and promotes biodiversity. In initial trials, yields and quality have been more consistent, while water, herbicide, pesticide and fertiliser..... 0 comments

GM potato gets roasting in South Africa
South Africa's Agricultural Research Council has appealed against the government's decision to reject a locally developed genetically modified (GM) potato it was hoping to release to farmers. The decision has split the industry.The Pretoria government's Executive Council for Genetically Modified Organisms..... 0 comments

Global crisis cuts value of Kenya’s exports to the UK
The value of Kenya’s exports to the United Kingdom slowed down over the second quarter of the year on the effects of the global economic downturn that saw consumer demand heavily weakened, new data shows.Statistics released on Wednesday by the British High Commission in Nairobi revealed a gradual decline of..... 0 comments

Uganda: Shs5 billion for Teso fruit factory still unused
A Shs5 billion fruit processing project in Soroti District is hanging in balance after the Finance Ministry failed to get an investment partner to implement the enterprise.The project meant to provide farmers in Teso with an alternative to value-addition for locally grown oranges, has since stalled and the..... 0 comments

Senegal: Groundnut production in freefall
Farmers are complaining about a lack of technical assistance and the poor quality of seeds they've planted this year in the Kaolack region, Senegal's groundnut-producing area, 200 kilometres south of the capital Dakar.The production of groundnuts, Senegal's third-largest export product after fishing and..... 0 comments

Tunisia: Retail business - 9 'Champion' stores are re-labelled 'Carrefour Market'
Since October 28, 2009 nine of Tunisia's "Champion" stores will be re-labelled "Carrefour Market" . The move which was decided by the group following the successful opening since 2007 of hundreds of outlets bearing the same name and which have recorded higher revenues concerns "Champion" supermarkets located..... 0 comments

Uganda: Northern region farmers expect better yields
As the rains continue in many parts of the country, farmers in Gulu and Amuru district are expecting better yields next harvest.The farmers say they hoped the rains that came in early October, would last long enough to sustain their crops till harvesting which begins at the end of November.Source:..... 0 comments

Kenya records lower inflation in October
Kenya’s inflation rate came down to 6.6 percent for the month of October from 6.7 percent in September.This came as the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said it had shifted to using a geometric mean method of calculating inflation.KNBS Director General Anthony Kilele said the switch from the..... 0 comments

Namibia: Training in organic farming
The Namibian Organic Association (NOA) has trained 22 farmers and 17 students of the Krumhuk Agricultural Training Centre on the use of effective micro-organisms (EM) in agriculture recently.EM consists of mixed cultures of beneficial and naturally occurring micro-organisms that can be applied as inoculants..... 0 comments

Namibia: Grape company anticipates good harvest
Namibia Grape Company (NGC) expects to have good sales in the European market despite the ongoing recession, thanks to its effort to ensure that grapes are ready for export before Christmas when demand is at a peak for the festive season.The company is confident that it will still make millions of dollars..... 0 comments

Tomato sector highlighted in Morocco on 9 December
At the World Fruit & Vegetable show, the Princess of Morocco held a speech about the fresh produce industry sector of her country. "Under the guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has embarked on a path of major development of its economy. The Agricultural sector is by far one of the most..... 0 comments

Bio-oasis one of the largest producers and exporters of dates in Algeria
Bio-oasis is one of the largest producers and exporters of dates in Algeria. We founded the company in 2002 with the goal to fill a market need for Premium-Quality dates. Since its inception Bio-oasis has been engaged in marketing Premium-Quality Deglet Nour dates. We currently offer a wide range of..... 0 comments

Angola bans Kenya banana imports to contain disease
Kenya’s bid for a larger share of the southern Africa fresh produce market took a fresh blow after the Angolan government banned banana imports from Kenya in a move aimed at curbing the spread of banana wilt disease in the region.Banana wilt— a bacterial disease which first got its way into the region..... 0 comments

Rwanda: Unstable food prices push inflation to 5.7 percent
The annual inflation in the month of September rose by 0.09 percent to 5.7 percent from 5.41 percent in the previous month, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).The institute attributed the increase in inflation to a 3.6 percentage point rise in food and non-alcoholic beverages..... 0 comments

S. Africa: Shoprite raises market share, sales in Q1
Shoprite Holdings, Africa’s largest grocery chain, has reported a growth in sales and market share for its fiscal first quarter, but said it still expects difficult trading conditions ahead.For the quarter ending September, the group saw sales rise by 15.3% year-on-year, while its market share rose by 1.6%..... 0 comments

Uganda: Potato worms attack Teso gardens
Worms that eat sweet potato leaves have attacked gardens in the Teso sub-region.Some farmers have started slashing the vines to get rid of the pests.The pests, identified as the sweet potato hornworm or hawk moth, can destroy a garden in one day.The Nabuin Zonal Agricultural Research and Development..... 0 comments

South African inflation slows for 7th month to 6.1%
South Africa’s inflation rate fell for a seventh month in September, reaching 6.1 percent, as a stronger rand helped curb import costs and food prices eased.Headline inflation slowed from 6.4 percent in August, the Pretoria-based statistics office said on its Web site today. The rate was forecast to drop to..... 0 comments

SA: Rand drops as Gordhan says government will ‘Massage’ currency
The rand slipped to its weakest level in almost two months after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said South Africa’s government may “massage” the currency because it’s too strong.South Africa’s currency declined for a fourth day, losing as much as 1.6 percent to 7.7940 per dollar, the weakest intraday level..... 0 comments

Angola: Kibala district to produce grapes soon
Mato Grosso Camama Farm, in Kibala district, central Kwanza-Sul province is to produce grapes in an area of 20 hectares, the manager of the undertaking Márcio Fernandes told Angop.Speaking during a visit of the minister of Agriculture, Afonso Pedro Canga, the manager said that the production and harvest of..... 0 comments

Angola: Ministry of Agriculture bans import of banana from central, east Africa
The Ministry of Agriculture has declared a ban on the import of vegetables and bananas from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Kenya, according to a dispatch published on Tuesday in Luanda.This governmental department has also banned the entry of..... 0 comments

Amhara state to develop over 907,000 hectares land through irrigation
Over 907,000 hectares of land will be developed through irrigation in Amhara state this dry season, state agriculture and rural development bureau indicated.Bureau Public Relations Head, Shiferaw Tesfaye, told WIC today that the irrigation development will be carried out in all zones, woredas and kebeles of..... 0 comments

Ghana: EDIF rescues mango farmers
Frustrated mango farmers in the Northern region have expressed joy after the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) purchased all their mango seedlings.The farmers could not find buyers for their nursed mango seedlings, plunging them into heavy debts and operational difficulties. EDIF, after a..... 0 comments

Egypt targets 6-8 percent core inflation, PM says
Egypt is comfortable with core inflation at the current level of 6.3 percent "for a while" and does not want to take policy actions that could curtail economic growth, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said on Tuesday."Our target is about between 6-8 percent ... That is for core inflation," he said at the Middle..... 0 comments

South Africa: Shoprite's turnover up
Africa's biggest grocer, Shoprite Holdings, said yesterday that turnover for the three months to the end of September rose by 15.3%, increasing market share by 1.6%.Shoprite, which operates in more than 10 African countries, said sales growth in its non-South African business climbed to 4.3% in rand terms,..... 0 comments

Egypt core inflation rose to 6.3 pct in September
Egypt's annual core inflation rose to 6.3 percent in September from 5.8 percent in August of this year, and compares to 23 percent in August 2008, the central bank said on Sunday."The main contributor to the month-on-month increase in the headline inflation was prices of fresh vegetables... The core..... 0 comments

SA group closes more shops, but won’t quit Tanzania market yet
Shoprite Holdings Ltd of South Africa wants to expand its business in Tanzania despite closing some of its shops in the country due to unprofitability.Ms Sarita van Wyk, the spokesperson of Shoprite Checkers, told The EastAfrican from South Africa that the group would close its Mayfair Plaza store in Dar es..... 0 comments

Uganda: Sweet potato project gets $21m boost
The international potato centre has launched a multi million dollar project to leverage the untapped potential of sweet potatoes to significantly improve the nutrition, incomes and food production of farming families in Sub-Sahara Africa.The multi-million dollar project is mainly funded by the Bill and..... 0 comments

P.E.I. aims to grow potato market in Algeria
A delegation of people representing P.E.I.'s potato industry returned this week from a trade mission to Algeria, hopeful about re-establishing markets for their products in that African country.Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, said he was encouraged by the trip."They have some..... 0 comments

Lewes man helps African company improve potato chips
Lewes’ Dave Bernheisel has traveled the world on a variety of foreign duty assignments. He’s monitored voting in Eastern Bloc countries and provided assistance to Roobys tea growers in South Africa.But Bernheisel’s trip in late September to Malawi, a landlocked and desperately impoverished country in south..... 0 comments

Africa: Small-scale pineapple growers want more support
Karim Diabaté, looks questioningly at his vast 20 hectare pineapple plantation in Bonoua in south-eastern Côte d'Ivoire. "I'm asking myself if if I'll get the money I need for in time for the inputs I need and keep my plants going."For two months, 35-year-old Diabaté has made several trips between his..... 0 comments

Namibia: 70 000 apples sold in cancer campaign
This initiative is part of the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project, which aims to raise funds for the Cancer Association of Namibia and increase awareness about prevention of the disease.Almost 300 people shaved and coloured their hair in support of the Cancer Association and cancer patients in Namibia."The..... 0 comments

Gambia: Improved food safety increases food supply - FAO boss
Dr. Babagana Ahmadu, the FAO representative in The Gambia, has said that improving the safety of the food produced and consumed in The Gambia will not only reduce the negative health effects of unsafe food, but will also help to increase the supply of available food, as the food that is produced will remain..... 0 comments

Mozambique: Bush fires damage cashew production
Uncontrolled bush fires are severely damaging Mozambique's cashew nut production, according to a report in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".Filomena Maiopue, National Director of the Cashew Promotion Institute (INCAJU), has warned that this is one of the factors jeopardizing the target of..... 0 comments

Morocco has a big presence at World Fruit and Vegetable Show 2009
The World Fruit & Vegetable Show was a quiet but nevertheless a quality trade fair. "At this trade fair we met our clients from the UK", said Micheal Early from Rago.Morocco had a big presence this year as a visitor to the World Fruit & Vegetable Show 2009. They had the biggest stand and the Princes..... 0 comments

METRO Group to start work on Egypt stores
Germany's Metro Group starts work next week on the first of potentially 23 wholesale stores in Egypt, the firm said on Thursday, a move Egypt expects will help boost internal trade and cut prices.Metro Group, which will trade under its Makro brand in Egypt, sells wholesale to customers such as hotel and..... 0 comments

Uganda develops new potato varieties
A joint research supported by agricultural organisations is developing a new breed of potatoes.The breed is said to be more nutritious, resistant to weevils, and can be grown across the sub-Saharan region.This was revealed by Dr. Robert Mukasa, a sub-Saharan Africa plant breeder working at the International..... 0 comments

Baobab export coup for African farmers
The fruit of the mighty baobab is to be processed and exported to US food markets, bringing in better incomes for rural African farmers. The tree’s fruit and leaves are both edible, and the baobab fruit is particularly nourishing and rich in vitamins and antioxidants.Now, the benefits of baobab (Adansonia..... 0 comments

World Food Day '09: Agriculture needs more investment to tackle hunger
This year, more than one billion will be hungry, the highest ever in human history.Agricultural research plays a vital role in helping improve the plight of the world's hungry and poor. As the spectre of hunger and poverty continue to rear its ugly head, national and international research organizations are..... 0 comments

Rwanda: Limited cargo space hinders fruit exportation
The lack of adquate carrier space to the biggest market destination of Rwanda's fruits is hindering the exportation of the produce, according to the Rwanda Horticulture Development Agency (RHODA).Chairperson of RHODA, Peter Muvara said that most of Rwanda's fruit exports to Europe go through SN brussels..... 0 comments

SA pepper hits the US
Home-grown South African Peppadew products are set to take a bite of the American flavour market, with a new licensing agreement between local producer Peppadew International and multinational US flavour house, Bell Flavors & Fragrances.Peppadew is the brand name of a range of pickles and sauces made..... 0 comments

South Africa: Government rejects 'Super Spuds'
The government has rejected the Agriculture Research Council's (ARC's) application to provide genetically modified potatoes to local farmers, saying it was concerned about its safety and economic effect.The development has been welcomed by lobbyists campaigning against genetically modified crops and local..... 0 comments

Rwanda: RDB pondering middle east markets for country's exports
The government of Rwanda through Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has commissioned a market analysis that will help it to assess the potential of the Middle East market for the country's products.The analysis, which is expected to end this year, will involve studies on quality, quantity, potential clients and..... 0 comments