Regional business community call for open borders to curb food shortage

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A dialogue between regional policymakers and business leaders has made a raft of proposals for the East African Community governments to avoid bouts of food insecurity like the recent ones. The East African region’s food insecurity is exacerbated by natural disasters, climate change, and now global crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

This was during a dialogue on the impact of global crises on food security in the EAC and the kick-off of the Project on Enhancing Competitiveness of Agri-Food Industry and Mitigating the Impact of Global Crises to Improve Food Security in the EAC. The dialogue held today was organized by the East African Business Council in partnership with Sequa GmbH under the Business Scouts Fund.

The event featured policy decision-makers and 60 agriculture value chain actors to validate the study on the impact of global crises on food security in the EAC conducted by the East African Business Council in partnership with GIZ Business Scouts for Development.

Francoise Uwumukiza, the Chairperson of the EALA Committee on Agriculture, Tourism, and Natural Resources emphasized the need for a gender-sensitive food response plan in the region. “Food security is paramount for inclusive economic growth in the region. EALA is committed to playing its legislative, oversight, and representation roles in collaboration with other partners to end hunger,” she said.

At EALA, she said, they are calling for quick implementation of agricultural policies, eliminating Non-Tariff Barriers, and tackling inflation for improved food security in the region. John Bosco Kalisa, the EABC Chief Executive Officer said that under the project, EABC would conduct training on agricultural topics ranging from sustainable supply chains, smart agriculture, contract farming, and export procedures to empower agriculture value chain actors, including women, youth, farmers, and SMEs.

Kalisa and the other guests officially launched the study on the impact of global crises on food security in the EAC and kicked off the project on Enhancing the Competitiveness of the Agri-Food Industry. The study shows that despite the good environment, rain, and fertile soils in most parts, the EAC faces challenges of food security, with Partner States as net food importers.

The food production index for the EAC region is still low, and the bloc experienced low food production levels between 2014-2017. The region’s staple food products are mainly cereals, such as maize, rice, and sorghum, which have a high import dependency ratio. “The global crises, such as COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, have led to volatile global and regional food prices, which have impacted food security. On the positive side, the EAC countries have shown quick adaptability to the pandemic, with some countries improving their Global Food Security Index (GFSI) scores,” said Kalisa.

The study shows that, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only Kenya had a score above average in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), followed closely by Rwanda and Uganda. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, only Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) improved their scores, with 37 and 40.7, respectively. However, there was a consistent improvement in Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania’s GFSI scores from 2021 through 2022, indicating quick adaptability to the pandemic.

Philipp Glaeser, Head of International Component, GIZ Business Scouts for Development, pledged that they will promote sectoral exchange and know-how transfer through the network of the Business Scouts Programme by getting contributions from German Private Sector agencies. These include the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BVE), the Federation of German Industries (BDI), and the German Organic Food Production Alliance (BOELW).

“We will have sectoral exchanges and know-how transfer that will contribute towards sustainable supply chain while repositioning and strengthening the competitiveness of agri-food in East Africa particularly MSMEs,” said Philipp. The study notes that while the region is experiencing disasters, they are affecting some countries more than others, giving them a chance to take the disasters as opportunities.

“The severity of the challenges does not cut across the whole region, creating opportunities for food production and trade in the region,” the study report says. Other challenges cited include the disruptions in the food supply chain caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, which has had a significant effect on the EAC’s food security, leading to increased food inflation. This was made worse by export bans and the imposition of export taxes making prices mainly of high-energy food out of reach, especially for the poor.

The EAC Partner States are prone to hunger compared to the global community, as revealed by the Global Hunger Index Report 2022. The EAC’s staple food products are mainly cereals, such as maize, rice, and sorghum, and cassava, beans, vegetables, sugar, wheat, millet, and pulses. As of December 2021, East African countries recorded a total trade of $182.6 million in cereals.

The share of the total cost of staple food in a healthy diet is, on average, 15 percent of the total cost of food. Export restrictions have usually targeted staple foods that account for the food security of a country. The discussions recommended that the EAC adopt facilitative regional trade frameworks that would ensure increased investment in local food production, diversifying food crops, and improving intra-industry trade of cereals, food preparations, and animal dairy products.

Others were improving food value chains to reduce food waste and increase access to nutritious food, strengthening social safety nets to support vulnerable populations, and addressing the inflation and affordability of healthy diets by implementing policies that increase incomes, among others. The partner states were also faulted for maintaining non-tariff barriers to block the movement of food across borders, especially claiming poor standards.

To this, the participants urged partner states to ensure that Standards are harmonized across the region by adopting standard testing and inspection procedures.

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