Demand for wheat growing in Sub-Saharan Africa
<p><span word="From">From</span> <span word="VOA">VOA</span> <span word="Learning">Learning</span> <span word="English">English</span>, <span word="this">this</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="AGRICULTURE">AGRICULTURE</span> <span word="REPORT">REPORT</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Special">Special</span> <span word="English">English</span>.</p><p><span word="Agricultural">Agricultural</span> <span word="experts">experts</span> <span word="met">met</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Ethiopia">Ethiopia</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="week">week</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="discuss">discuss</span> <span word="ways">ways</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="help">help</span> <span word="sub">sub</span>-<span word="Saharan">Saharan</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span> <span word="become">become</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="major">major</span> <span word="producer">producer</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="area">area</span> <span word="traditionally">traditionally</span> <span word="produced">produced</span> <span word="little">little</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span>.</p><p><span word="Currently">Currently</span>, <span word="maize">maize</span> -- <span word="or">or</span> <span word="corn">corn</span> -- <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="top">top</span> <span word="cereal">cereal</span> <span word="crop">crop</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="countries">countries</span> <span word="south">south</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Sahara">Sahara</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="North">North</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span>, <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="important">important</span> <span word="crop">crop</span>. <span word="Wheat">Wheat</span> <span word="production">production</span> <span word="fell">fell</span> <span word="sharply">sharply</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="sub">sub</span>-<span word="Saharan">Saharan</span> <span word="countries">countries</span> <span word="during">during</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="nineteen">nineteen</span> <span word="eighties">eighties</span>.</p><p><span word="Hans">Hans</span> <span word="Joachim">Joachim</span> <span word="Braun">Braun</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="director">director</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Global">Global</span> <span word="Wheat">Wheat</span> <span word="Program">Program</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="International">International</span> <span word="Maize">Maize</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Wheat">Wheat</span> <span word="Improvement">Improvement</span> <span word="Center">Center</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Wheat">Wheat</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="commodity">commodity</span> <span word="crop">crop</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="North">North</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span>. <span word="North">North</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="grain">grain</span> <span word="basket">basket</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Roman">Roman</span> <span word="Empire">Empire</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="production">production</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="domestication">domestication</span> <span word="started">started</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="North">North</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span>, <span word="Turkey">Turkey</span>, <span word="Iraq">Iraq</span>. <span word="So">So</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="traditional">traditional</span> <span word="reasons">reasons</span>, <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="there">there</span>.”</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="nineteen">nineteen</span> <span word="sixties">sixties</span>, <span word="attempts">attempts</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="grow">grow</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="sub">sub</span>-<span word="Saharan">Saharan</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span>, <span word="including">including</span> <span word="South">South</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Zimbabwe">Zimbabwe</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="countries">countries</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="less">less</span> <span word="costly">costly</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="import">import</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="Europe">Europe</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="United">United</span> <span word="States">States</span>.</p><p><span word="Another">Another</span> <span word="problem">problem</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="farms">farms</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="far">far</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="population">population</span> <span word="centers">centers</span>. <span word="There">There</span> <span word="also">also</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="transportation">transportation</span> <span word="issues">issues</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="lowlands">lowlands</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="place">place</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="grow">grow</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span>.</p><p><span word="Hans">Hans</span> <span word="Joachim">Joachim</span> <span word="Braun">Braun</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="increase">increase</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="production">production</span>.</p><p>“<span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="four">four</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="seen">seen</span> <span word="three">three</span> <span word="major">major</span> <span word="price">price</span> <span word="hikes">hikes</span>, <span word="where">where</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="price">price</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="staple">staple</span> <span word="process">process</span> <span word="exploded">exploded</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="puts">puts</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="big">big</span>, <span word="big">big</span> <span word="bill">bill</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="countries">countries</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="depending">depending</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="imports">imports</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="wheat">wheat</span> <span word="importer">importer</span>.”</p>
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