African leaders called to modernise agriculture

Pan African Farmers Organisation (Pafo) has challenged African leaders to modernise the agriculture sector as it forms the backbone of most economies on the continent.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe, Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) president Felix Jumbe said the challenge was made in Yaonde, Cameroon, where Pafo members from different countries, including Malawi, met for their regional conference.

Pafo is a regional body that voices out the interest of farmers at an African Union (AU) level.

Jumbe, who attended the regional conference, said the meeting noted that most farmers on the continent were still using traditional tools because of lack of political will on the part of the leadership.

“We want this mindset to change because African farmers are still slaves because African leaders have done little to modernise farming methods. Our leaders are busy amassing wealth and authority instead of developing agriculture.

“In Africa, we see more luxury vehicles than tractors, yet most of our economies are agro-based,” he said.

He said if the trend continues, African farmers will remain a cheap source of labour and raw materials.

Jumbe, who was elected Pafo vice-president at the summit, also observed that the New Partnership for African Union (Nepad) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development (CAADP) have been hijacked by technocrats who have no experience about farming yet they want to take centre stage on behalf of the farmer.

“CAADP and Nepad have become tools for sourcing funds for agricultural projects from donors although such money neither trickle down to farmers nor help modernise the agriculture sector,” he said.