EAC States unveil plan to monitor food output

Three East African countries will now be able to monitor food situation simultaneously online in an effort to tackle shortages.

The launch of the East African Community (EAC) RegionSTAT database is the culmination of a meeting by the Heads of States of the five East African countries to come up with a food action plan that will see the effects of drought and hunger minimised.

The monitoring system is also an attempt to deal a body blow to the perennial problem of hunger.

During the launch of the database in Nairobi on Friday, East African Community PS, Mr John Konchellah, said the plan would ensure that all the five countries can ably handle food crisis together.

“Articles 105-110 of the EAC Treaty provide for the basic elements for the partner states to objectively cooperate for the achievement of rational agricultural production and food security,” he said during official launch of the database.

Mr Konchellah said food insecurity in the region was marked by inadequate trade in produce such as maize, which is a staple food, between countries where there were bumper harvests and those grappling with deficits.

Quite often, agricultural production has been affected by drought and climate change, making the food situation across the member states worse, he said.

COMMON POLICY

The PS said the aim of the five countries — Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda — which have all often been hit by drought and famine, was to come up with a common agricultural policy, ensure there was regional food sufficiency, increased agricultural production and enhance trade within and outside the region.

He said Presidents from the region, in a previous EAC Heads of Sates summit had deliberated on formulation of a regional food action plan, for which timely and reliable agricultural information was considered a critical element in achievement of food security.