Agriculture and agribusiness are essential to Africa's future economic success. As a major producer of pulses, fruits, vegetables, coffee and cocoa, the continent has the means to generate considerable growth through intra-African trade and export. For African nations to realize this vast potential, they must have access to better domestic transport infrastructure, improved equipment and more regular and reliable shipping services. MSC is committed to playing a crucial role in this development by offering its support.

«Agriculture and agribusiness are engines of economic growth in Africa, employing more than half of the continent's population and representing more than 50 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) of some of its countries. Its fertile lands and agricultural experience produce numerous crops among the most important in the world, from citrus fruits to chickpeas, sesame seeds, tea, coffee, cocoa and much more. It is not surprising that agriculture and agri-food markets will exceed $1,000 billion by 2030.

In addition to feeding the continent's economies and populations, the African agricultural sector also provides many highly in-demand products for export, such as cocoa from the Ivory Coast and Ghana, tea from Kenya, coffee from Ethiopia, and cotton from Egypt. For these industries to reach their growth potential, African countries must have access to better transport and logistics infrastructure to support their agricultural producers. This is an especially difficult challenge on a continent where up to 70 % of food is produced by small farms.

Supporting the success of African agricultural products

Produce requires meticulous care throughout its journey to preserve freshness, flavor, texture and aroma. Without access to dedicated equipment and knowledge when and where it is needed, producers cannot guarantee the durability of their crops, minimize food waste or ensure high-quality products upon arrival.

As a leader in the transportation of agricultural products on the continent, MSC is committed to helping African businesses and small businesses by providing them with the solutions and services they need to transport their goods quickly and efficiently to African and overseas markets. Not only do we share our extensive experience in transporting cocoa, cashew nuts, cotton, coffee and other products for which the continent is justly famous, but we also have unparalleled experience in shipping other products you harvest, such as seeds of sesame, fruits, including citrus, black tea and legumes such as chickpeas.

Connecting Africa to its main markets

Through our inland transport solutions, we seek to support intra-African trade in line with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (CAFTA) agreement.

This is especially important given that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast that agriculture will account for 16% of the economic and social changes expected from the agreement, and that small countries in particular should benefit from a significant positive impact.

Thanks to our regular, frequent and reliable transport network, we also connect African producers with major global markets. This includes direct calls and frequent crossings for cashew nut exporters in West and East Africa; specific equipment and assistance for major cocoa producing countries such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria; and ground transportation and shipment preparation services for major coffee producers in Ethiopia and beyond, including warehouses with dedicated coffee loading areas, container pre-stacking facilities, and a customs area to speed up the clearance process. We also operate a sea, land, rail and barge network connecting major African sesame seed producing regions to major trading centers in Asia, Europe and North America, and provide specialized seasonal services to support fruit and vegetable producers. citrus in countries such as Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa and Ivory Coast.

In addition to dedicated warehouses and storage, we provide local producers with access to food-grade units to extend product shelf life, controlled atmosphere (CA) technologies, and a modern, efficient, green fleet so they can transport their perishable products. over long distances without compromising appearance, taste or quality.

Helping Africa stand out

By facilitating trade, we can also enable access to essential goods for communities on the African continent and help secure humanitarian supply chains. That's why we are committed to investing in the continent's success by supporting producers with state-of-the-art equipment, seasonal flexibility and the 'personal touch' for which MSC is known.

With dedicated teams in more than 40 countries, MSC and its subsidiaries provide door-to-door solutions for dry and food-grade cargo that keep perishable products in perfect condition throughout their journey. By combining our global shipping network with dedicated warehouses, depots and packaging facilities in strategic locations across Africa, as well as container repair centers, inventory monitoring services, customs and documentation solutions and GPS tracking, we make life easier for producers by providing a single logistics operator from plant to ship.

Article source: jeuneafrique