State should finance agriculture economy

The greatest problem we have in Africa is our leaders who have no clue on development programmes.

Instead of improving their economies, they are only interested in enriching themselves and their families with the aim of remaining in power forever.

This could explain the reason why nothing is being done to help our continent.

A recent report showed that since 2005, merely 13 African countries among them Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ethiopia have hit or surpassed their pledge to invest at least 10 per cent of public funds in agriculture.

The report 'African Agricultural Status Report 2016' shows that farmers in Africa are earning 70 per cent less income from agriculture than their peers in Asia due to poor soils.

It noted that 65 per cent of Africa's farm lands lack the necessary nutrients, and many farmers lack the inputs and technical knowledge to revive them.

This costs African farmers at least $68 million (Sh680 billion) in lost income opportunities.

African Heads of State should wake to the reality and ensure that our continent develops considering that our land and soils are far much better than other continents.

When everything is said and done, let us not forget that a decade of intense domestic attention to farmers and food production has generated the most successful levels in African history.

This is, because, we have seen a strong case for agriculture being the surest path to producing sustainable economic growth that is felt in all sectors of society, particularly poor Africans.

The Jubilee government should not forget that agriculture is the mainstay of the economies of almost all African countries. It is for this reason we should concentrate on financing agriculture to ensure that we become the most developed country in Africa.