By Neeta Baporikar *
COMESA is an agriculture dominant region, with agriculture being the main economic activity, especially for the rural poor, accounting for 31 percent of the region’ s GDP. The most important agricultural exports to markets outside the region include coffee, tea and spices; edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers, fish, crustaceans, live trees, cut flowers, oilseeds, various grains, seeds and fruit; and cereals. Cattle production is a significant livestock activity. Notwithstanding the strategic importance of agriculture in the region’ s economic development, the sector has grown in most COMESA member states at a lower rate than their national populations. However, the agriculture sector’ s performance has been lacklustre due to unfavourable environmental conditions, including droughts and floods. Nevertheless, there exists a huge potential market in the region which needs to be better harnessed with improved agricultural management and better market access, supported by the provision of marketing information measures.
Rationale for food processing industry: A golden opportunity
The COMESA region offers a number of opportunities for agricultural development. With a population of about 379 million people, the region represents a major market in Africa. This large and varied regional market is an opportunity for member states to improve their economies through crossborder trade promotion. To do that, agricultural diversification that is complementary is necessary and overdue in the respective countries within the COMESA region. Furthermore, trends prevailing in the agricultural sector of the COMESA region dictate that a shift be made away from focusing solely on agricultural production, to paying more
24 • COMESA • 2018