Congolese businessman, Katumbi, embraces Agriculture

Businessman and party leader Moïse Katumbi has invested in thousands of hectares of maize fields, a staple food of the Congolese people.

Katumbi maintains that it is possible to make the Democratic Republic of Congo the breadbasket of Africa. But this requires awareness, determination and also investment in human capital. With this in mind, he has invested USD 20 million in a 15,000 hectare area, the capital of Haut-Katanga.

Africa spends more than seven billion dollars a year on rice imports, which are essential for its food security, even though the continent has a great production potential. The same problem applies to maize cultivation in the region. "Today, it's sad, the Congo exports nothing, except for ore. In ten years, fifteen years, five years, the mines will be exhausted. For me, the real precious materials are things like maize, it's agriculture,"

"Greater Katanga needs 2 million tonnes of maize every year, so we don't even produce 10% of our maize," said Katumbi.

Despite these investments, DRC still imports corn flour from its neighbors,where Import routes into the country could be longer and less secure. Border issues often cause disruption in supply.

The former governor of Katanga said he is convinced that the structural transformation of agriculture is a prerequisite for increasing labour productivity and income levels, but especially for creating decent jobs.