South African Louise Angel, 29, has become the first woman to take command of a vessel for South Africa-based Safmarine. She is also the youngest Master in the Safmarine fleet, which comprises 19 owned and 39 chartered vessels.

Angel, who is married and lives in Durban, will take command of the Safmarine Ngami – a 2,474 TEU containership deployed on the South Africa/North America (AMEX) trade – during mid-October.

Earlier this year, she also became the first female officer to take delivery of a new Safmarine containership – the very ship she will now be at the helm of.

Commenting on her appointment, Safmarine CEO Ivan Heesom-Green said: “As a seafaring Safmariner, Louise has demonstrated her ability and commitment and her appointment to Master is an excellent achievement – and one of great pride to all Safmariners.”

Safmarine is an independently-managed, multi-trade shipping company within the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, the world’s largest liner shipping company. Founded in South Africa in 1946, Safmarine is today represented in more than 120 countries.

Mr Lawrence Othieno, a resident of Magada Village in Nagojje Sub County is a vanilla and red bud chilli farmer. “These crops have kept me employed and the entire family and our income is promising. I have been able to educate my children in good schools and built a house because I always have a ready market for my crops,” he says as he leads me to his vanilla plantation.

Mr Otheino cultivates on a five-acre plot of land and earns Shs1,200 per kg of fresh red bud chilli. He expects to sell over 20,000 kgs of vanilla to Coetzee Natural Products at Shs6,000 per kg this year. A proud Othieno says that since 2004, he has depended entirely on his farm, on which he also grows coffee. His only challenge is fighting crop diseases.

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Poor agricultural yeids and rising food insecurity in sub – Saharan Africa has brought into sharp focus the role of modern agricultural technology in human development.
Heightening food insecurity in Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and several other African countries of the region has stimulated political and public attention on genetic engineering in general and on the potential benefits and risks of genetically modified foods (GMs).

In the recent past, over 10 African countries were facing a major food crisis with more than 38 million threatened with hunger and starvation due to a number of interrelated factors like rapid decline in food production as a result of bad agricultural policies; sever drought, poor infrastructure, poor investments in agricultural research.

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The prohibitive prices of fruits at the beginning of theongoing Ramadan fast in Zamfara have crumbled,following the gradual winding up of the season. A market survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau showed that a medium size pineapple which used to sell at N200 before the fast, but increased to N600 at the commencement of fast, now reduced to about N300.

NAN further reports that the price of oranges have also come down from N200 per five balls to N100 per same quantity while a ball of water melon now attracts between N250 and N300 instead of its former N500 price tag. Other fruits like banana and pawpaw are also affected by the price decrease, with a bunch of banana which formerly sold at N500 now reduced to about N200 while a ball of pawpaw that attracted N500 in the past few weeks ago now sells at N250.

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The country’s largest dried mango producer may supply $500,000 worth of exports to South Africa if ongoing negotiations bear fruit. Justin S. Uy, president of Cebu-based fruit processor and exporter Profood International Corp., said three buyers have expressed interest in importing dried mangoes during a recent trade mission to South Africa conducted by Cebu businessmen.

“We’re going to be submitting samples. They’re interested because it’s a new product for them,” Mr. Uy said in a phone interview yesterday. The deal will be finalized in the next two months after tariff and freight costs are computed, he added. One of the South African buyers represent a large retail firm there, Mr. Uy said. Aside from dried mangoes, Profood International Corp. is behind the local brand line of dried fruits, juices, jams and purees.

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