The African nation of Gabon sells billions of dollars of crude oil every year, but has to import food for its 1.6 million people.
Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba says he wants to dramatically increase the country’s agricultural production, and the state of Georgia could benefit from that goal, according to a report in the AugustaChronicle.
Georgia had the 16th-highest revenue for crops in 2011, according to federal statistics, and is the biggest U.S. producer of broiler chickens, an industry Gabon wants to develop, the report said.
Meat and rice were among the top 10 imports into Gabon from 2007 through 2009, according to United Nations statistics.
Agricultural experts from Georgia are finalizing a deal with the West African country to help develop its tiny farming sector – a partnership that could lead to lucrative deals for Georgia producers.
State officials say industry, government and academic leaders who visited Gabon were asked to help train future farmers and develop a food safety inspection program.
Georgia officials say the three-year deal, reached in November, not only furthers Gabon’s goal of providing more of its own food but also presents export opportunities for Georgia’s food producers.
Gabon’s agriculture sector accounts for just 5 percent of the economy. Bongo wants to increase agriculture production to 20 percent of the country’s overall output.
“Gabon wants to diversity its economy. We are trying to make sure the country does not rely solely on oil revenues,” said Michael Moussa-Adamo, Gabon’s ambassador to the United States. “Unfortunately, with the oil curse – we say the oil curse – people are moved away from agriculture.”
Experts from the University of Georgia will create an agricultural curriculum for students in farming-focused high schools and technical colleges, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black said.
Gabonese officials also want to create an agricultural research center that focuses on practical issues, much as University of Georgia’s extension service develops new crops suited to Georgia and devises methods to prevent crop and livestock disease.
Officials are finalizing contracts to establish payments and terms. The effort is being entirely funded by the Gabonese government.
The potential payoff for Georgia is trade opportunities. Gabonese residents had the third-highest income in Africa in 2012, according to World Bank estimates, meaning they can afford foreign products.
Leaders from Georgia’s poultry industry walked through a supermarket in a middle-class neighborhood in the Gabonese capital of Libreville, AugustaChronicle reports. Black said the business delegation noticed that a frozen chicken from France cost the equivalent of $15.
“They were quite frankly licking their chops saying, ‘We can get a bird in here for less than $15,’ ” Black said.
While there is room for Gabon to expand agricultural production, its hot, wet climate has limitations that will require importing at least some food in the long run, said J. Scott Angle, dean of University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Science.
A revived agricultural sector could expand the demand for Gabonese businesses to import agricultural infrastructure.
“We’re hoping that those products are purchased from Georgia,” Angle said.
