Short Essay on Value Addition in Agriculture

            Most agricultural exports to the traditional markets are mainly exported while in their raw form. The prices fetched by traditional raw exports have progressively declined, with the resultant low returns to the producers. Value addition is a viable strategy in creating employment in agricultural enterprises. Value-addition is an important strategy of developing markets and products.

            Africa is a producer continent with each of its member countries commanding the supply of a unique product required by the leading global economies. Although endowed with such potential though, she ends up buying the end product of the processed local produce at exorbitant prices. After value addition, the value of the final produce is much pricier than when the raw produce was sold. This then results in the wealth creation shifting from Africa to the developed economies.
            If Africa has to get out of the poverty levels she now finds herself in, each of the African economies must strive to create a value added supply niche. The value added supply niche must stems from their local produce. Since the creation of huge production industries is an expensive affair, there is a need to go through the motions of identifying the niche. This ought to be done by employing local resources to add value from appropriate technologies in production that create cottage industries. This would consequently enhance standards as the value added produce reaches the market from which investable funds are created.