CII organized the 6th Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership at Hotel Taj Palace New Delhi from 14th to 16th March 2010.

The Conclave was attended by delegations from over 40 African Countries which comprised of decision makers for sectoral projects, Funding/Risk mitigation agencies, Regional Bodies such as NEPAD, TEAM-9, SADC, Offshore Development Agency etc.

Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (India) Pvt. Ltd., (OIA) participated in the Conclave as Event Contributor and put up a stall at the Conclave's exhibition centre.

CII organized various sessions targeting different African Countries in this 3-day Conclave. OIA Chairman, Ambassador V. B. Soni was invited to be a keynote speaker on the session on “AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA – FOOD FOR ALL, An Achievable Aim” held on 15 th March 2010 at the Durbar Hall at 1600 hrs. Ambassador Soni spoke on Food Security, Green Revolution and the Millennium Development Goals.

The following day while presiding another speech, OIA Chairman, who is also a Member, CII Africa Committee, summed up his speech by saying that the food crisis in Africa can be averted and Indian Companies like Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (India) Pvt. Ltd were ideally suited to tackle this issue in partnership with interested countries. Ambassador Soni's speech was well received by the audience.

We bring you Ambassador Soni's full speech on AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA - FOOD FOR ALL,
”An Achievable Aim”

As we deliberate on the subject the spectre of food scarcity looms large in the horizon. As and when the world witnessed food crises in the past usually it was the continent of Africa that witnessed the maximum starvation deaths in history. As the millennium 2000 the situation was not that desperate and that lulled us in to the mistaken belief that droughts of huge magnitude are a thing of the past.

In order that false security does not make us complacent one of the items on the top of the agenda for the Millennium Development Goals is the issue of food security.

Let me start by underlining how the transformation in the developed countries came about so as to avoid any pitfalls from their negative experiences. In the West the industrial sector growth was accompanied by the rapid transition of traditional agriculture into high productivity agriculture, also called “programmed agriculture”, with increasing use of machinery, automation, manures and pesticides.

However, over time the use of heavy equipment caused soil to become compacted, making it difficult for water to penetrate to the roots of plants, leading to a reduction in productivity. The mass mechanisation and automation of agriculture also resulted in an increase in rural unemployment. Crop operations such as sub-soiling, green manuring and the incorporation of organic residues were necessary in order to recover the soils' structure and fertility, while part of the unemployed were absorbed by industry.

The massive use of pesticides resulted in the migration of pests and the development of resistance to treatment. In order to avoid worsening situation, developed countries resorted to “Integrated Pest Management”. According to this method, pesticides began to be applied in extreme situations and when economically feasible.

The application of fertilisers resulted in the accumulation of nitrates and heavy metals in the soils and their transfer both to crops and to water supply systems. Chemical analyses were introduced to detect residues and manage the situation and to avoid public health problems.

As far as Asia and Latin America are concerned, the expression “Green Revolution” was first used in 1968 to describe the agricultural transition in many developing countries, leading to significant increases in production and productivity during the 1940s and 1960s. This transition was the result of research and agricultural extension programmes, which led to greater intensification in production, i.e., the use of high-yield varieties, irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides and mechanisation in agriculture.

In 1960, in Mexico, American and Mexican scientists led by Dr Norman Borlaug, began improvements on high-yield wheat varieties (varieties not layered with applications of manures, and allowing for two crops per year). The Mexican Government invested heavily in infrastructures, leading to mass adoption of these new varieties. The country soon became self-sufficient and began to export its wheat.

The second country to experience the Green Revolution was India. Making use of the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations' experiences and in partnership with them, the Government of India imported large quantities of wheat and rice seed and embarked on its own Green Revolution. The programme involved not only improved seed, but also the development of irrigation and financing of agro-chemicals. By the end of the 1970s, rice yields increased by 30%, alleviating the widespread hunger experienced in the country since the 1940s.

The Ford and Rockefeller Foundations established the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, in 1960, with their high-yield varieties expanding to Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and some counties in Latin America and North Africa. In 1969, the agronomist Dr Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his work in improving wheat varieties and his role in launching new agricultural production technologies, which culminated in the Green Revolution in Mexico, India and other Asian countries.

Subsequently, several other countries achieved positive results after developing their own experiences within the framework of their economies and stages of agricultural development.

• It must be internally generated, based on the farmers' socioeconomic and cultural foundations;
• It must rely on the Government's effective support capacity;
• It must take into consideration local specificities, namely the agro-ecological potential
  of each region;
• It must have strong leadership, creativity and make maximum use of local resources in order not to depend exclusively on the State Budget;
• There must be greater decentralisation of competencies and of human, material and financial resources to the districts;
• It must build-up the self-confidence of farmers, discouraging programmes providing free distribution of material or financial resources and encouraging savings and mutual assistance schemes;
• It must implement specific programmes, with clear targets and accountability in their
  execution; and
• It must include primary and secondary schools and vocational education institutions in its implementation.

To sum up it is my conviction that food crisis in Africa can be averted and Indian companies like Overseas Infrastructure Alliance are ideally suited to tackle this issue in partnership with interested countries.

Place: New Delhi
Date: 16.03.2010