This news roundup has been collected on behalf of the China and Brazil in African Agriculture (CBAA) project. For regular updates from the project, sign up to the CBAA newsletter.
New policy brief by Sérgio Chichava on China in Mozambique
Sérgio Chichava’s presentation in Washington DC has just been published as a policy brief. Its title is ‘Chinese Agricultural Investment in Mozambique: the case of the Wanbao rice farm’.
(SAIS (pdf))
Foreign-based Chinese farms face obstacles to selling produce in China
Two officials from China’s Ministry of Agriculture have published a report about the difficulties overseas Chinese farmers and agricultural firms face in exporting their produce back to China. The report found that many agricultural firms had to buy import quotas from other companies, and some were only allowed to export a fraction of what they produced back to China.
(South China Morning Post)
New FAO Credit Line for Mozambican farmers
The FAO is said to have opened a new line of credit to reduce pockets of hunger in 36 districts of Maputo, Beira and Nacal with loans becoming available in the first quarter of 2015. This will mainly be targeting families that grow vegetables and grain.
(Macau Hub: English / Portuguese)
African organic foods in Kunming Agriculture Fair
The 14th Kunming Pan-Asian International Agriculture Fair was hosted last week, and a Chinese news article reports on an African vendor present. This year’s fair was focused around “natural ecological” products and the African stall owner is quoted as saying that because of Chinese perceptions of Africa, Chinese consumers may not have faith in African manufactured products, but may give greater respectability to their “natural ecological” products.
(21food.cn)
Agência Brasileira de Cooperação sends delegation to Ghana
Brazil’s international co-operation agency sent a delegation to Ghana in May 2014 to look at strengthening nutrition programmes in schools. The seminar convened delegates from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, and Brazil’s National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE).
(ABC (in Portuguese))
Chinese construction firm plans $5bn investment in Angolan farming
The Chinese consortium, CITIC Construction Co., is reportedly planning to invest $5 billion in 500,000 hectares of land in Angola next year. This will focus on maize, soy and wheat planting. The company also claims to have already developed two 10,000ha farms in the country already.
(China Daily)
What Brazil could learn from Ghana
This article argues that rather than just focusing on Brazil’s agricultural development model, it could also learn something from Ghana. This is interesting, because it raises questions around whether Ghanaian agricultural development lessons could be transferred to Brazil (or China) too.
(AllAfrica)
Zimbabwe: lessons from China
This article by Fay King Chung in the Zimbabwe-based Herald discusses lessons that the country could learn from China. It touches upon how China encouraged its diaspora communities to invest in the rebuilding of the country, and wise economic management. The writer also recommends that the Zimbabwean government should focus on agriculture, and attract Chinese support in the infrastructure sector.
(The Herald)
