Page 45 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 25
P. 45
Food health
Parallel to this trend, is the seeds, machinery, logistics, maize, but, with growing
expanding involvement of food storage and processing tensions with the US and other
Chinese corporations through facilities provided by Chinese volatilities in production and
BRI across the global food companies. trade such as Covid and climate
chain, from seeds to processed change-induced droughts,
foods. Three main areas In 2021, a China-Africa the government is looking to
are of particular concern: Economic and Trade “Deep diversify its supply sources.
increasing agriculture imports Collaboration Zone” was set
from Africa; the seizing of up in Hunan province that Over the past decade and
dwindling fish stocks; and the contains a processing and a half, there have been
expansion of e-commerce. trade centre for African agro- numerous attempts by Chinese
products. The centre recorded agribusinesses to invest in
Sowing export agriculture in USD 400 million in trade for large-scale farming projects in
Africa the first year and aims for USD Africa. However, these have
14 billion in trade with Africa not resulted in a significant
Over the past decade, China by 2025.[3] amount of exports to China,
has made a major departure and many of the projects
from its traditional model China’s confidence in its have failed to even get off
of China-Africa cooperation practices of fast economic the ground.[4] Nevertheless,
in the roll out of its BRI growth attempts to present at the China-Africa Leaders’
agriculture projects in Africa. a template for African Roundtable Dialogue in
Previously, China-Africa countries to follow under the Johannesburg in August
cooperation was mainly about BRI. Through its massive 2023, President Xi Jinping
sharing knowledge, and it communication network, the emphasised that China would
did it through showcasing BRI is promoting agriculture continue to try and develop
technology and providing aid capitalisation as a successful large-scale crop farming on
for the construction of public means to eradicate poverty. the continent. He also stressed
works (like irrigation schemes) that importance would be given
promoting agriculture for food. China’s agricultural intentions to build up seed production
The BRI approach, however, in Africa are mainly concerned capacity and seed markets for
referred to as “agriculture for with its soaring domestic meat its corporations.[5]
profit”, has operated through consumption and support of
massive private or state-owned its factory farming of poultry China’s largest seed company,
companies and has coupled and pigs, which has created Yuan Longping High-Tech
the financing of transportation a huge demand for imported Agriculture, a subsidiary of
infrastructure projects (like soybeans and maize for animal the state-owned conglomerate
rail and ports) with projects feed. The US and Brazil have CITIC, has been tasked with
to industrialise African long been China’s dominant leading this effort in Africa.
agriculture through hybrid suppliers of soybeans and In Tanzania, the company
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