5th FANRPAN Annual Partners Meeting

30 May 2013. FANRPAN hosted its 5th Annual Partners' Meeting. This is an annual flagship event on the FANRPAN calendar that presents an opportunity for organisations and individuals to share current programmes and future plans with existing and prospective partners. The convener of the meeting was Chairman of the FANRPAN Board of Governors, Hon. Sindiso Ngwenya who is also the Secretary-General of COMESA.

During the meeting, FANRPAN avail an opportunity for partners to briefly share their programmes and areas of focus. This will benefit FANRPAN in terms of strategic alignment, and enable partners to share experiences and focal areas amongst each other.

Download Draft Programme Here

Sithembile Mwamakamba, project manager of FANRPAN addressed the 5th PANRPAN Partners meeting in Pretoria:

From the outcomes we had when FANRPAN successful partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the Women Accessing Realigned Markets (WARM) project, we saw that women farmers also need equal access to knowledge, full participation in and obtain appropriate returns from the agricultural system.

Dr David Bugeme, Advisor in charge of Agricultural Production and Agronomic Research to the DRC

Prime Minister, said

His Excellency, the Prime Minister, Honourable Matata Ponyo Mapon, is championing the country’s agricultural green revolution programme. This has seen government allocating funds to support, small-scale farmers under the “Farming Campaign” programme which includes agricultural innovations, Congolese “Young” Entrepreneurs in agriculture and the involvement of universities and research centres, for the betterment of the sector. (...) We have also started creating “Agro-Industrial Parks”, the promotion of export crops as well as improving the business climate by reviewing the agricultural policy. We are also in the process of reviewing our agricultural law and tax exemption on agricultural inputs and equipment.