Plant pests cause huge crop losses in Africa

It is estimated that 30 to 60 percent of Africa’s harvest, or more than USD 220 billion, is lost every year to plant pests, compared to only 20 to 40 percent worldwide, causing significant losses to food crops, revealed the Head of the African Union’s Rural Development Division, Janet Edeme.

According to Edeme, who was speaking recently in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa at the official launch of Africa’s Plant Health Strategy (2022- 2032), the number of people affected by hunger has risen from 811 million in 2020 to 828 million in 2021, according to the FAO report.

“Indeed, the impact of plant pests and diseases on our food products is a cause for concern and action,” said the acting Head of the AU’s Agriculture and Food Security Division.

In her view, while there has been significant activity over the past decade to strengthen the national, regional, and continental phytosanitary system, several existing, emerging, and growing challenges are increasing the threat to plant health.

These include globalisation, international and interstate movement, climate change, tourism and the increasing volume of goods moved.

According to her, many other trends, including new plant pests and new pathways, the variable geographical spread of existing plant pests, agricultural expansion and intensification, increased urbanisation, and changes in land uses, further exacerbate these challenges, and along with the growing challenges and trends, there is an ongoing competition for resources across the continent.

Therefore, Janete Edme said that to mitigate the pest situation on the continent, the African Union has developed and adopted, through various involved and extensive consultation processes, a five-year phytosanitary strategy for Africa (PHSA)-2022-2036, which provides a formidable strategic framework for plant health and food security.

In this sense, the PHSA focuses on seven strategic objectives, which aim to improve legislative frameworks for phytosanitary interventions; strengthen institutional capacity and coordination of phytosanitary systems; strengthen continental harmonisation of phytosanitary policies, regulations, and standards; and promote continental cooperation and mutual recognition of the application of equivalent phytosanitary measures.

The strategy envisages strengthening phytosanitary capacity in the region to support market access; supporting member states to participate effectively in international coordination mechanisms and influence continental and international phytosanitary positions; and helping member states to improve communication and awareness in the phytosanitary field and create and strengthen relations between the parties.