Page 46 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 25
P. 46
Food health
Food Health
is pursuing a major effort to Chinatex. can have major impacts on
develop soybean production for global prices. This is why
export. In 2022, the Tanzanian Benin is also a target for much of China’s overseas
government provided it with maize exports. While maize food strategy has focused on
53,000 hectares for a large- is a staple food in Benin and trying to minimise such price
scale farming operation in is grown widely across the fluctuations by boosting global
the Chunya District of the country, it is almost entirely production of the crops it
Mbeya Region and in 2023 it consumed locally. Longping imports through technology
fast-tracked the approval of High-tech is trying to change and mechanisation.
the company’s seed varieties. this and develop a surplus for
[6] In preparation, Beijing’s export through a programme This approach doesn’t hold
cleared several companies for supported by China’s Ministry with the fishery sector.
the export of soybeans from of Commerce, that is training China’s rapidly expanding
Tanzania, and a first shipment farmers in growing its high- fleet of deep-sea trawlers as
was carried out by the giant yield hybrid maize varieties, a techno-fix to deal with the
state grain trader and food and then distributing them to decline in global fish stocks is
company, COFCO, which plays other farmers for widespread actually playing a major role
a central role in the BRI’s food cultivation. [8] in accelerating the depletion.
and agriculture projects around Having badly overfished their
the world. Other crops for export to own coastal waters, Chinese
China, beyond maize and companies are sending their
Both Longping High-Tech soybeans, are also being giant trawlers further and
and COFCO are also actively supported in Africa through further overseas, bringing
developing exports of soybeans the BRI. China has recently them into increasing conflict
in the West African country put in place new sanitary and with coastal communities who
of Benin, which along with phytosanitary mechanisms to depend on these same waters
Tanzania and Ethiopia, was streamline the cross-border for their livelihoods and food
recently singled out by China flow of agricultural products needs.[13]
for the development of soybean and increase the range of
exports. China and Benin products covered under food At the October BRI Forum,
signed a protocol on the export safety regulations-- from the Chinese government
of soybeans in September 2019 seafood to avocados to cotton. maintained that it wanted
and, by 2022, Benin’s annual [11] [12] to pursue international
exports to China exceeded collaboration to support the
210,000 tonnes, accounting From land to sea sustainable use of marine
for over 60 per cent of its resources, under what it
total soybean exports.[7] The The massive size of China’s described as a renewed “blue
exports are mainly handled food market means that any economy initiative”. But,
by COFCO’s local subsidiary, small fluctuations in trade evidence from the ground
46 | we tell the true afrikan story
