Agriculture & Forestry
From The Report: Gabon 2015
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The government is aiming to boost agriculture’s contribution to GDP to 20% by 2025 through partnership with international institutions and private enterprises. It also intends to reduce food imports, which reached €523.8m in 2014. Efforts are under way to ensure that sector management is sustainable.

This chapter includes interviews with Gagan Gupta, Country Head, Olam; and Gert Vandersmissen, Group COO, SIAT.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Ready to sprout: New measures put the sector in a stronger position
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One of Gabon’s greatest paradoxes is agriculture. Blessed with 5m ha of fertile arable land and a tropical climate with annual rainfall of 1800-4000 mm, it has all the ingredients to feed its growing population. And yet it is dependent on imports for some 90% of its food requirements, costing the country in excess of CFA300bn (€450m) per annum. Food imports rose to CFA349.2bn (€523.8m) in 2014, up from CFA333.8bn (€500.7m) in 2013, according to the former Ministry of Economy and Planning,…

Interview

OBG talks to Gagan Gupta, Country Head, Olam: Interview
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Interview: Gagan Gupta How can public-private partnerships (PPPs) for agricultural development be strengthened? GAGAN GUPTA: The framework for PPPs already exists in the country, so there is not really much to change on that front. It is more about encouraging private operators to invest in the sector. The rules regarding the respective roles of the government and private operators are very clear, and the government is aware of how partnerships have to be structured and executed. The real challenge…

Interview

OBG talks to Gert Vandersmissen, Group COO, SIAT: Interview
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Interview: Gert Vandersmissen How do you expect livestock production to evolve during the coming years? GERT VANDERSMISSEN: Food production as a whole in Gabon is still very insufficient, as nearly 95% of the food consumed here is imported. When it comes to livestock, SIAT has 5000 heads of cattle and produces about one tonne of meat annually. As Gabon’s demand for meat is estimated at 80,000 tonnes a year, 100% of our production is geared towards the local market. There are also small-sized…

Analysis

Encouraging entrepreneurship: Planting the seeds of self-sufficiency from the bottom up
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The Gabonese Initiative for Achieving Agricultural Outcomes with Engaged Citizenry (Gabonaise des Réalisations Agricoles et des Initiatives des Nationaux Engagés, GRAINE) is part of the government’s ambition to boost agriculture’s contribution to GDP from 5% to 20% by 2025, and, in the process, reduce the country’s dependence on food imports. Objectives Launched in December 2014, GRAINE is designed to promote entrepreneurship in agriculture by helping small farmers to form cooperatives…

Analysis

Financial tools add promise: Though not short on challenges, forestry has room for growth
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Policy measures taken by successive governments to introduce sustainable forestry management and to develop the downstream timber industry are widely expected to offer long-term environmental and economic benefits. However, in the short term they have delivered a blow to the forestry industry, which is still feeling the effects, particularly the moratorium in place since 2010 on the export of raw materials. “The industry was not prepared. Small and medium-sized international and local players…