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Why has Africa become a net food importer? - Explaining Africa agricultural and food trade deficits

Year of publication 2011

Author Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) ...High-income countries in Africa had high net food imports per capita, but they did not have problems paying for their large food imports because they had ample sources of foreign currencies. [...] Conversely, low-income countries imported less food per capita, but their agricultural export revenues, or even sometimes, their total merchandise export revenues, could not cover their relatively small food import bills.... .... [[The] stagnation of per capita net food imports c ontrasts the steady and sharp increase in total net food imports [...] and confirms that the population increase played an important role in the increase in Africa’s import demand for food ... Much has been said about domestic production not being able to meet domestic demand fully, but the relatively small shares of net food imports in GDP were signs that domestic food production has played a significant role in feeding the growing African population. Still, the weakness of do mestic production especially for Sub-Saharan Africa lies mainly in its inability to deal with an eventual sustained increase in per capita consumption. Unless food production per capita increases or unless many surplus areas in the continent are connected to the market, any sharp increase in per capita consumption, because of, say, a sudden increase in income or a dramatic change in dietary pattern in the low income will only be met by an increase in food imports.

Language English

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