The African Union (AU) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Josefa Sacko, on the sidelines of a visit to the Angolan capital Luanda, announced today statistics indicating that Africa is losing about 30% of its agricultural production due to a lack of infrastructure.
Sacko said this number is a loss for African people, adding that there are other challenges that Africa needs to address such as soil and fertilizer problems.
She explained that agricultural productivity is heavily impacted by overexploitation and soil erosion in Africa. Thus, the use of fertilizer per hectare (18 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare) is far below international standards and the target of 50kg per hectare set by African heads of state at an extraordinary AU summit in Abuja in 2006.
She added that this situation is not conducive to ensuring food security on the continent, which is why she plans to hold a summit in Senegal in June to address soil problems and fertilizer supply.