Trade policies hurting Africa

2004-04-01 22:43

Kampala - African leaders attending an international conference in Uganda accused developed countries on Thursday of imposing trade barriers on their agricultural products threatening food security.

The three-day conference, attended by 500 people from more than 50 countries including researchers and scientists, seeks ways of increasing Africa's food and nutrition security. The conference is being held in a hotel bordering Lake Victoria, 15km south-east of Kampala.

"High tariffs are put in place by the developed nations as barriers against our agricultural products. At the external level, international regimes of trade and tariffs have never favoured Africa," Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo told the conference also attended by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.

According to research papers for the conference, Aids, restrictions to western markets for African products, poverty, and the continent's poor political leadership are responsible for the poor food and nutrition security.

Ugandan President Museveni appealed to the developed world, especially Japan and the United States, to open up their markets to African agricultural products.

"Africa leads in all bad things. One of them is hunger, malnutrition, Aids, under-nourishment. We have to transform our society. I appeal to our development partners, USA and Japan to level the field. We would like markets for our products. The market is the main stimulant for production," Museveni said.

"It is a fact that agriculture in developed countries is protected. There is no way we can develop our agriculture in that situation. You cannot preach free market policies and practise protectionism," he added. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA