Saint-Pierre, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritian Agro-industry and Fisheries MinisterArvin Boolell has highlighted the need for every Mauritian to participate in thestruggle against food insecurity and appealed to farmers and citizens to work towards more crop self-sufficiency.

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - Ministers of agriculture, trade, economy and financefrom member countries of the Economic Community of the Central African States (ECCAS) met here Monday and Tuesday to seek ways for devising joint strategies totackle the food crisis and lessen the dependency on imports.

New York, US (PANA) - A contagious and virulent disease that affectssheep and goats is exacerbating food insecurity in Kenya and Uganda,USAID said on Monday.

New York, US (PANA) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has announcedthe roll out of US$214 million response to help millions in 16countries, 10 of them in Africa, hit hard by high food and fuel prices.

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Malian economic experts and a French NGO, called the"Association Bretagne internationale", say they will institute a biological cotton growing programme within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA),official sources told PANA Tuesday here.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Many low-income food deficit countries around theworld have to shoulder a heavy financial burden in order to meet the cost of food imports amid tightened supplies and oil price increases, according to JacquesDiouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The Coalition for the Protection ofthe African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN)Tuesday evening staged a demonstration against the use of GeneticallyModified Food (GMF) in agriculture in Burkina Fasoas well as in some member countries of the West African Economic andMonetary Union (UEMOA).

Bissau, Guinea Bissau (PANA) - The government of Bissau and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Tuesday signed a draft agreement underwhich the UN Agency will urgently support cashew nut producers hard hit by a crisis in the sub-sector.

Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe saidThursday the government had ordered 500,000 tonnes of food, mainlymaize, from Malawi,South Africa and Zambia to avert starvation.

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria has set a target of 600,000 tonsannual cocoa production, from itspresent production of 170,000 tons, according to the Minister ofAgriculture and Water Resources,Abba Ruma.