13th AU summit expected to focus on agricultural investment, food security

By Lu Di

NAIROBI, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Agricultural investment, food security, as well as the state of peace and security in Africa are likely to top the agenda of the upcoming 13th African Union (AU) summit, which will open Wednesday in Sirte, Libya's port city.

With the theme "Investing in agriculture for economic growth and food security", the summit is scheduled to take place from July 1 to 3.

Leaders of AU member states are expected to extensively discuss how to increasing the continent's agricultural investment in order to face the challenge of ensuring Africa's food security during the summit.

The recent sharp increases in the prices of food, especially cereals and oilseeds, created hardships for consumers in the region. The World Food Program (WFP) said in a release that the situation of food prices increase is most dramatic in sub-Saharan Africa with domestic prices of rice are much higher than 12 months earlier in all countries analyzed.

Food price rising contributes to more difficulties in addressing the hunger and undernourished problem as the WFP disclosed that there are 236 million people undernourished in sub-Saharan Africa.

Some effective approach to agricultural production growth will involve strengthening agro-dealer networks and farmer organizations to increase access to affordable quality seeds and fertilizers, improving farmers' knowledge of integrated soil fertility management and strengthening farmers' opportunities.

During the opening ceremony of the 15th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU on June 28, Abdoulie Janneh, United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), called on Africa to speak with one voice in trade negotiations so as to better structure policies related to markets, land, development of intra-regional trade and the promotion of diversity of agricultural produce throughout the region of the continent.