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Africa ‘Must Rethink Approach to Agriculture Investment’ [Wall Street Journal]

Morocco’s Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhannouch on how Africa can improve its agriculture:

wall street journal wsj[…]
The World Bank estimates that Africa could more than triple the value of its food output from $313 billion a year to $1 trillion if its governments were to “radically rethink their policies and support to agriculture.”

Akhannouch says African governments could attract more investment by better defining the value proposition for investors—something Morocco has done as part of its own successful efforts to boost its agricultural productivity. Since 2008, under its so-called Plan Vert (Green Plan), Morocco has boosted agricultural output by more than 40%.

The strategy is aimed at growing both small-scale farming and larger-scale commercial agriculture through a range of reforms in areas such as water management, access to inputs—such as seed and fertilizers—and improving access for farmers to their markets.

At the center of Plan Vert, though, is investment, Akhannouch says. “We clearly laid out the agricultural opportunities offered. The agency [managing Plan Vert] effectively aggregates projects into packages that will be attractive to investors.”…[full story]

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