Event: Africa Can Help Feed Africa: Removing Regional Barriers to Trade in Food Staples

The rise in global food prices and an ever-growing food import bill have brought sharp attention to agricultural trade policies in Africa. Africa’s demand for staple foods has been on the rise and will double by 2020. However, African farmers currently provide only five percent of Africa’s imports of cereals while huge swathes of fertile land—slightly larger than the size of India—remain uncultivated and yields are a fraction of those obtained by farmers elsewhere. Through regional trade, Africa’s farmers have the potential to meet much of the rising demand and to increasingly provide substitutes for more expensive imports from the global market. This potential, however, has yet to be exploited because African farmers face more barriers in accessing the inputs they need and in getting their food across borders to consumers in African cities, than suppliers from the rest of the world. These barriers along the whole value-chain reduce returns to farmers while increasing prices paid by consumers. Removing these barriers to regional trade is essential if Africa is to attain its potential in food trade. But to achieve this, governments will need to overcome the political economy realities that have prevented African countries embracing open regional trade in food. They will need to provide a clear and predictable policy framework for regional trade so that institutions that facilitate exchange and mitigate the inherent risks associated with food production can flourish and support efficient and safer market outcomes and a more effective approach to food security in Africa.