Africa has the potential to generate an extra US$20 billion(about Sh1.7 trillion) in yearly earnings from food trade if proper infrastructure is put according to a new World Bank report.
The report says Africa's farmers can potentially grow enough food to feed the continent and avert future food crises if countries remove cross-border restrictions and improve on infrastructure.
The continent has traditional areas of food deficit and food surplus, yet as many as 19 million people are living with the constant threat of hunger and malnutrition.
"Africa has the ability to grow and deliver good quality food to put on the dinner tables of the continent's families," Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa said on Thursday while releasing the report titled 'Africa Can Help Feed Africa: Removing barriers to regional trade in food staples'
"However, this potential is not being realised because farmers face more trade barriers in getting their food to market than anywhere else in the world"Diop said.
The World Bank expects demand for food in Africa to double by the year 2020 as people increasingly leave the countryside and move to the continent's cities.
It suggests that if the continent's leaders embrace more dynamic inter-regional trade, Africa's farmers, the majority of whom are women, could potentially meet the continent's rising demand and benefit from a major growth opportunity.
Africa's production of staple foods is worth at least US$50 billion a year. The new report notes that only five per cent of all cereals imported by African countries come from other African countries despite vast fertile land remaining idle. Poor roads and high transport costs have also impacted on the food situation in Africa.