Mumbai:  Speaking at a Global Conference on job opportunities and challenges in the agriculture and food sector in Africa, organized by the Indo-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry held in Mumbai, Mrs. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture of African Union Commission said that unless high technology is implemented in the abundant agricultural land and other resources available in Africa, the problem of food safety in Africa would not be solved. She emphasized that the African Continent could make  a significant contribution towards world food safety if state-of-the-art technology is introduced to the cultivable land area available in Africa.

Mrs. Thabete, Agriculture Minister of South Africa; Engineer Christopher Cheesa, Agriculture Minister of Tanzania; Mr.  Josh Pacheco, Agriculture Minister of Mozambique; Mr. Atul Jain, Joint Managing Director of Jain Irrigation; Mr. K. L. Daga, Chairman of Indo African Chamber attended the conference in Mumbai.

Almost all countries in the African Continent have focused on the development of agricultural sector for social and economic development, poverty eradication and food safety. Unless a revolution takes place in the agricultural sector, this burning problem in Africa would not be solved. “A revolution will only be possible with high tech agriculture technology and we are keen to adopt measures taken by India in the agricultural sector’’, said Mrs. Peace.

She also praised the high tech agriculture technology of Jain Irrigation, and mentioned that the agricultural sectors in India and Africa have a lot in common and the acreage of marginal land holding is similar.

Mr. Atul Jain, Joint Managing Director of Jain Irrigation, said that the technology from Jain Irrigation has played an important role in agricultural production throughout India – and has led to prosperity for Indian farmers and hoped that the same technology would bring a revolution in the lives of African farmers.

There is vast opportunity for orchard development for crops like ginger, guava, tomato, tur, Bengal gram, grapes and banana, etc. in Africa. We have helped the farmers improve yield with the formula of thick plantation. Mr. Jain emphasized the need for water management on a war footing along with development of non-conventional and solar energy. “We are happy that countries like Kenya, Ruanda, Tanzania, have entered into agreements with us, and we wish to take a prominent role in the development of the agriculture sector in remaining African countries’’, said Mr. Jain.

“Around 80% people in Tanzania are dependent on agriculture. Only 10 million hectares out of 44 million hectares of cultivable land is being tilled. We have given preference to high tech agriculture technology to bring non- cultivable land under cultivation”, added Engineer Christopher Cheesa, Agriculture Minister of Tanzania. He further added that the Government of Tanzania has entered into an MoU with Jain Irrigation and hoped that greater success would be achieved with high tech agriculture technology.

Ministers and senior officers of countries like Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Mauritius, Togo, Zambia, Burundi, Ethiopia, South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania attended the two day conference.