NAIROBI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- African countries should leverage on enhanced trade in organic products to boost economic growth and create new jobs, a UN official said on Wednesday.
Malicke Kane, project coordinator at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said that African countries should invest in value addition and certification in order to boost the competitiveness of their organic products.
"Organic products that have undergone certification have the ability to feed African people while the surplus can be sold in overseas market," Kane said on the sidelines of an international conference on organic farming underway in Nairobi.
Statistics from UNCTAD indicate the global market for organic products that has been on a growth trajectory in the last decade stood at about 97 billion U.S. dollars in 2017.
Kane said that countries located in east and north African region have gradually penetrated the global market for organic products through export of tropical fruits, vegetables, cereals, fish, nuts and roasted coffee.
"There are positive trends that point at growth of domestic market for organic products in Africa," said Kane.
Rising middle classes, presence of vibrant retail sector and e-commerce platforms will transform trade in organic agricultural products in the continent, he added.
Kane said that home-grown start-ups that have sprung up in many African countries have been at the forefront of streamlining value chains for organic products.
"These start-ups are providing innovative solutions to help improve quality, traceability and marketing of organically grown farm produce in Africa," said Kane.
He said that adoption of new technologies as well as capacity building targeting small-holders, aggregators and retailors are key to boost growth of market for organic products in Africa.
