MARKETING OF PRODUCE to other countries is critical for virtually every country in Africa. In the current economic crisis affecting most of the countries of the World, African countries are in an even tighter position than usual. Some commentators claim that the 2008 peak price for oil of US$147 per barrel was caused by speculators and led to the current recession.

ZAMBIA HAS STARTED developing farm blocks in order to diversify the economy away from mining. The now subsiding global economic crisis has exposed Zambia’s overdependence on mining sector which suffers from external shocks.

THE CUMMINS QSK19 ENGINE will power the largest self-propelled forage harvester ever built by John Deere. The new 7950 SPFH utilises the 597kW (800-hp) rated output of the 19-litre engine to significantly increase harvesting productivity with a wider working width and reduced working time.

SOUTH AFRICAN FARMERS are considering concessions in the DR Congo, the Chinese have expressed interest in the biofuel potential of Angola’s run-down eucalyptus plantations, and the sovereign wealth funds of the Middle East are snapping up large parcels of high-potential land wherever they can find it, Sudan being a prime target.

HARSH WEATHER, GLOBAL economic meltdown and the negative effects of the post-election violence have hit hard this vital lifeline of thousands of Kenyan farmers. Reduced demand for horticultural products- particularly in Europe has seen exports plummet by 7.4 percent in the first half of 2009, according to the Central Bank of Kenya estimates.