South Africa: Agriculture Sector Grows Employment By 65 000
The agricultural sector grew employment by 65 000 from December 2009 to December last year, says Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel.
"Employment in agriculture grew by around 65 000 from December 2009 to December 2013, reversing a trend of job losses stretching back to the 1970s.
"In an effort to improve the rural economy, household income and access to nutrition, a total of 1 740 555 hectares of land were acquired, redistributed and restituted or restored from 2009 up to September 2013," Minister Patel said on Tuesday.
Minister Patel was speaking at a post State of the Nation Address Economic Sectors and Employment and Infrastructure Development cluster media briefing in Cape Town.
Improve food security programme to be launched in Africa
A unique, Africa-led fund designed to improve food security across the continent has become a reality for the first six countries slated to benefit from the initiative.
The Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Niger and South Sudan signed agreements in Tunis with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to receive $2 million each from the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund.
“The Africa Solidarity Trust Fund shows that African countries are ready to step up and work with their neighbours to build a sustainable and food secure region, and to have the future we want,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
The agreements were signed during the FAO Regional Conference for Africa.
Kenya: Government launches a programme to distribute banana suckers
The Kisii government has launched a programme to distribute banana suckers to farmers at a cost of Sh10 million. Speaking during the launch at Etago in South Mugirango on Sunday, Agriculture executive Vincent Sagwe said farmers will get 50,000 suckers of the early maturing and disease resistant banana variety.
We are committed to ensuring farmers get quality planting material even as we address the marketing challenges. Tissue culture banana variety is high yielding, disease resistant, matures and ripens faster,” he said. Tissue culture banana suckers are small in size unlike the traditional varieties making them convenient to carry and plant.
KFC follows Nigerian fast food pioneer in African growth
When investment banker Ebele Enunwa moved to Nigeria's oil industry hub more than a decade ago, he was distraught by a lack of places he wanted to eat. To tackle the problem, he raised $1-million from banks and friends to open a chain of fast-food outlets called Kilimanjaro—named for Africa's highest peak—in 2004.
Now, competitors including Yum! Brands, Domino's Pizza and Johnny Rockets International are following suit and opening outlets, while McDonald's says it's eyeing opportunities in Africa's most populous country.
The chains are staking claim to an industry that has grown more than 10% annually this decade despite operating in a nation where chicken imports are banned, power supply is unreliable and a meal costs more than most people make in a day.
