As if 2020 had not brought enough grief and grief, in July, one more barrel found its way to Africa and Asia – and marked a worrying tipping point for the joint efforts of both continents to provide those most in need with a safe, affordable and nutritious food supply. The “tipping point” for food security for both continents is available. While 2020 will be remembered for a variety of reasons that we would like to forget, we want to work to ensure that this is also the year when food and agriculture players in Africa and Asia came together like never before in a collaborative spirit for a common cause. Frannie Léautier, Chief Operating Officer of the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank, is a strong advocate for the fashion industry. According to the Financial Times, the agreement came into force in May and agreed to eliminate tariffs on trade between member states at 90% of growth. Other threats to food production in Africa and Asia are the continuation of restrictive trade trends across borders and full control of both regions. The next step is the development of African fashion houses to sell products first to African consumers and then to the rest of the world. “It`s not just about getting something from a third party, taking it out of a package and adding a `Made in Africa` label,” said Albert Muchanga, the AU`s trade commissioner. The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement is the key to taking the African fashion industry to the next level. Of particular concern is a movement in the European Parliament that advocates that no other country should use limited or banned pesticides in the European Union – and, with this idea, to combat the maximum residue limits (MRLs) set by the World Food and Agriculture Organisation (WHO/FAO) Codex Alimentarius for pesticides that are not available in Europe. This would allow millions of farmers in Africa and Asia to effectively close the European market, threaten their existence and make it more difficult for producers to advance food security on both continents.
The recovery comes after decades of a declining fashion industry due to cheap imports and poor infrastructure. The fashion industry is currently being revived by entrepreneurs, policy makers and lenders in Africa. In late October, Germany, France and Britain called on the Trump administration to reconsider the new comprehensive sanctions against Iranian banks, arguing that the measure would discourage legitimate humanitarian trade and harm the common interests of their allies, as evidenced by diplomatic correspondence. While these technologies are essential, they are only part of the common solution we need. In the midst of these difficult times and indeed a “tipping point” for food security for Africa and Asia, it is important to remember that only a joint effort by interest groups throughout the food value chain will turn the page to tackle hunger, malnutrition, malnutrition, waste and many other unacceptable outcomes that the population will eventually suffer.
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