CEOs need to accelerate their action plans to safeguard the production of commodities critical to the global population and economy as heat stress and drought risk rise around the world, according to PwC's report, Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities: Protecting People and Prosperity, published. The report, which analysed nine …
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government has moved to cushion citizens from high maize prices by introducing subsidized flour that will retail at 60 percent less than the current market price. The ministry of agriculture announced that starting Wednesday a 2kg packet of maize flour, East African nation’s staple, will …
Makurdi — Farmers in Benue State are worried as army worms wreak havoc on newly cultivated maize farms across the state. Similar incident is being experienced in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as farmers are recording isolated cases of armyworms attacks, which affected some farms particularly farms …
While the Government officials have put on a brave face, trying to resolve food crisis, Ministry of Agriculture bosses seem to be holding their breath as they watch the unfolding food crisis across the country. They know too well what shortages of the different agricultural commodities mean, especially if they …
Kenya’s reserves of corn dropped to less than a day’s worth of consumption after stocks of the staple grain were released to millers, the National Cereals and Produce Board said. The reserve currently stands at 50,000 90-kilogram bags, equivalent to 4,500 metric tons, NCPB Managing Director Newton Terer said by …
With Sh1,000 two months ago, one could buy 30 kilos of Irish potatoes in Nakuru town and still keep change. Things have since changed, however, and the amount will fetch only 10 kilos, dramatically signalling the high cost of living that has seen food prices shoot through the roof. Alternatively, …
Scientists have called for quick, multi-institutional collaboration and co-ordinated action against the fall armyworm that has ravaged maize to avoid economic hardship for smallholders in the region and across Africa generally. "The frightening risk of the fall armyworm to food security in Africa must be recognised and tackled with a …
Fast-rising inflation is forcing an increasing number of Kenyan families to skip meals or practice food rationing. Inflation in Kenya has hit 57-month high of 11.5 percent, pushed up by soaring prices of basic commodities. None of the food items used daily by ordinary Kenyans have been spared, with the …
Ghana’s parliament has been asked by the Agriculture Minister to declare a ‘state of emergency’ over an armyworm invasion that threatens a $133m project (560 million cedis). The sector minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie, in a memo to the Cabinet asked the legislature to allow unbudgeted funds for a mass spraying …
The National Varietal Release and Registration Committee (NVRRC) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has approved seven new hybrid maize varieties to be released onto the market for cultivation and consumption. The varieties, which were released by scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Savannah …
South Africa, the continent's biggest maize producer, hard hit by an El Nino-triggered drought last year, is considering a strategic reserve as a buffer against future shortages, its agriculture minister told Reuters. Neighboring countries such as Zimbabwe and Zambia have such reserves, but it would entail a significant policy shift …
Malawi has tightened its border controls to stop profiteers smuggling much-needed maize out of the country in search of higher prices. Months of drought had left more than a third of the population reliant on food aid, and the government last month invoked the Special Crops Act, which bans the …
Rwanda's government announced on Wednesday it had discovered fall armyworm on its crops, making it the third east African country afflicted by the plant-eating pest also recently spotted in Kenya. Uganda confirmed last month that fall armyworm had entered its borders after devastating crops in several southern African nations in …
NAIROBI, April 5 (Reuters) - Kenya has sent a team of scientists and other experts to investigate reports of crop-eating caterpillars known as fall armyworms in maize fields in the western region of Trans-Nzoia, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Neighbouring Uganda confirmed last month that the pests had …
The African army worms, which invaded farms in Lunga Lunga early March, have spread to Shimba Hills. The county Agriculture director David Wanjala said his department is making efforts to control the spread of the worms. He said the county has allocated money to buy more chemicals to fight the …
Githongo — Turning maize to silage makes sense for dairy farmers and cattle - but could it lead to food shortages? Dressed in a green hat and black mud boots, Gilbert Gitonga is busy tending his 3-acre (1.2-hectare) farm in Kenya's Meru County. Moving among rows of maize plants, he …
Wheat, rice, sugar, cotton and maize are among the essential internationally traded crops in the global economy. To produce these crops many countries rely on irrigated agriculture that accounts for about 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, according to the United Nations Water program. One freshwater source is underground aquifers, …
South Africa, the continent’s biggest corn producer, may reap the largest harvest of the grain in 36 years as rains improved yields and boost the crop’s size by 83 percent from last year, the Crop Estimates Committee said. Growers will probably produce 14.3 million metric tons of corn in the …
Scientists have urged the government to approve genetically modified maize after trials in Uganda showed resistance to fall armyworm invasion. Dr Sylvester Oikeh, Project Manager of Water Efficient Maize for Africa (Wema) that is carrying out Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) maize trials in Kasese, said the genetically modified variety was resistant …
Kenya is withholding approval for field trials of genetically-modified corn because some officials argue that a ban on GMO imports applies to controlled growing tests as well, according to a person familiar with the deliberations. Talks involving representatives from the health and environment ministries and the National Biosafety Authority reached …
HARARE – Zimbabwe, which is recovering from drought and battling a pest outbreak that threatens its maize crop, has budgeted $140-million (R1,8-billion) to buy maize from farmers for its strategic reserve, Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told parliament on Thursday. Harare is holding 250,000 tons of maize in strategic reserves, half …
