Posted on February, 2, 2016 at 11:18 am
Regional News
Agriculture & Development - Youth Agribusiness, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship Summit on Innovation (YALESI) 2016
The National Coordinator of Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) Gambia chapter, Mamadou Edrisa Njie, has announced that the government of Senegal would host the Youth Agribusiness, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship Summit on Innovation (YALESI) 2016 youth summit in Dakar, Senegal. He said the youth summit would run from 29 March to 2 April 2016, and 250 young people would converge at the summit in Dakar.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201602012805.html
Kenya News
Farmers want State to increase allocations to North rift for food security
Farmers in the North Rift have called on the government to invest more on subsidies in the region because it had capacity to increase yields. The farmers observe that the current imbalance in production and market prices on maize have denied them opportunity to earn better returns thus discouraging them from the sub-sector.
World Bank ranks Kenya highly on farm regulations
Kenya’s regulation practices are impacting positively on agriculture but there is still room for improvement, a new report compiled by the World Bank says. The Enabling the Business of Agriculture report indicates that Kenya has scored above the global average of 60 per cent, meaning that the regulatory environment is boosting the sector.
Tanzania News
'Farmers Lack Agricultural Skills'
Moshi — Lack of capital, education, better seeds and efficient markets proved to be a major challenge faced by farmers, ahead of the rainy season. The statement was made by some farmers in Kilimanjaro region at a two-day gathering organized by by a non-governmental organization Seeds of Expertise for the Vegetable Industry in Africa (SEVIA).
http://allafrica.com/stories/201602012016.html
Cashew nut processing factories to start next fiscal year
Construction of three big cashew nut processing factories is scheduled to start early in the 2016/17 fiscal year, with the country’s processing capacity poised to rise to 30 per cent from the current 10 per cent.
Uganda News
Ugandan maize lowers Kenya prices
Kenya's maize brokers who have been hoarding huge stocks of last year’s harvest, in anticipation of an increase in prices, may not realise their expectations as cheaper imports from Uganda flood the market.
AfDB gives Kampala $76m for food security
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $76.7 million loan to support farm incomes, rural livelihoods, food security and climate resilience in Uganda. The loan will finance Phase Two of the Uganda Farm Income Enhancement and Forestry Conservation Programme (FIEFOC-2) comprising agriculture infrastructure and agribusiness development activities.
Rwanda News
NAEB's new mandate a game changer for agro exports sector
The restructuring of National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) mandate to include support and facilitation of investors in the agricultural sector means that NAEB will be a wholly-owned state enterprise with powers to provide export development services to the private sector, as well as undertake investments to boost agro export revenues, according to Amb George Kayonga, the chief executive officer.
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2016-02-02/196670/