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FOCUS ON FERTILIZERS
AND FOOD SECURITY
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Issue 2; June 15, 2008
Establishment
of African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism
Governors of the
African Development Bank (AfDB) have approved the establishment of a
new African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism Special Fund to mobilize
donor resources to finance production, distribution, procurement,
and use of fertilizer in Africa.
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Back Issues of Focus on Fertilizers
and Food Security June
2, 2008 -
World Fertilizer Prices Soaring |
 The
action was taken at an AfDB meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, in May 2008.
Subsidies will be provided to help make fertilizer available to African
farmers at affordable prices according to an AfDB press release.
Donald Kaberuka, AfDB
President, said, “There must be some degree of fertilizer subsidy.” Such
subsidies must be “market smart” and targeted, he added.
Such a mechanism was
called for in the Abuja Declaration on Fertilizers for an African Green
Revolution that Heads of State and Governments from across Africa
adopted in June 2006 during the Africa Fertilizer Summit in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Declaration called for an increase in fertilizer use from the current 8
kg per hectare to at least 50 kg by 2015.
The mechanism will also
address gender issues. Most African farmers are women. “Poverty has a
woman’s face,” Kaberuka said. “We must bias policy toward Africa’s women
farmers.”
Analysis
Soaring fertilizer prices
around the world are impacting international agriculture, especially in
Africa. There is no apparent letup in the escalating price trend.
The subsidies could help
African farmers gain long-term access to fertilizers at reasonable prices
provided they are “smart” subsidies that go through and help develop the
private sector. Kaberuka said that African farmers have had little incentive
to increase production in the past, but the sharp rise in international
grain prices gives more incentives to produce.
Solutions
An adequate supply of
fertilizers at a cost farmers can afford is a challenge worldwide, but
particularly in Africa. Government officials have substantial work to do to
meet plant nutrient needs.
This emphasizes the
importance of improving the efficiency of fertilizer use. Many practices
can help farmers reduce input use. IFDC’s integrated soil fertility
management technology is helping farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa produce food
and fiber more efficiently. This technology could be used in other areas.
Urea deep placement (UDP) of urea briquettes into the root zones of
transplanted rice is another IFDC technology, proven effective in
Bangladesh, that can increase fertilizer efficiency.
“Actions by international
organizations to provide fertilizers at reasonable prices are needed to help
African nations increase food production,” says Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC President
and CEO. “More research in the use of efficient fertilizer practices is also
essential to help African nations achieve food security.”
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