AGCO celebrated the past 23 January his first summit for Africa in Berlin. The summit is a conjoint initiative of AGCO, Bayer CropScience and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft GmbH. “With the certainty that his population duplicate in the next 20 years, is a global responsibility develop a new approach for the agriculture in Africa”, affirmed in the inaugural conference Martin Richenhagen, president, manager and adviser delegated of AGCO. “Our aim is to boost the have a conversation international to encourage to the international companies to that they invest in the future of Africa.” Put it of the summit AGCO Africa was to increase the level of sensitisation on the needs of the African continent and argue the challenges of the agriculture in relation to the global problem of supply of foods, the descent of the earths of crop and the increase of the population. Between the invited found Thabo Mbeki (ex-president of South Africa), the Dr. Horst Köhler (ex-president of Germany), Dirk Niebel (German minister of Cooperation and economic Development), and Ilse Aigner (German minister of Feeding, Agriculture and of Protection of the consumers). Between the speakers were amongst other, Jose Pacheco (Minister of agriculture of Mozambique), Roberto Rodrigues (ex minister of agriculture of Brazil), Bärbel Dieckmann (President of Welthungerhilfe) and Omari Issa (Adviser Delegated of the service to improve the climate of investments in Africa). The participants in the summit AGCO Africa argued the multiple forms in that the mechanisation of the agriculture could guarantee a better future and like the improvement of the methods of crop could increase significantly the performances. The greater efficiency and productivity could in return help to the African countries to reduce his dependency in the crops mattered, creating a better alimentary hygiene. “Wide zones of Africa have the floor and the suitable climate for an agriculture of success, but a lot of zones still are not cultivated or are not sufficiently productive”, explained Richenhagen. “With 11% of the arable earths of the world (of the cual 86% is not cultured) Africa would benefit of some technicians of modern crop and mechanised.”
With more than 50 years of experience in Africa through the mark Massey Ferguson, AGCO improves the alliances with governments, foreign investors and donors to improve the agricultural practices in Africa. AGCO Has foreseen to fund the development of pilot centres of agricultural qualification in Zambia, Ethiopia, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and South Africa, that will allow the learning of agriculturalists and local distributors in the new agricultural technologies. Hubertus Mühlhäuser, first vice-president and manager for Europe, Africa and Middle East aimed that “the solution for the African agriculture is to develop strategic alliances to produce able crops to feed to an increasing population of economic form, environingingmental and socially responsible. With decades of dependency in alimentary help and with the greater demographic growth of the world, the perspectives of Africa on a long-term basis will require big dose of autosuficiencia.”
