RADICAL French farmer leader and anti-globalisation activist Jose Bove on Wednesday accused the World Bank of “destroying” Africa’s agricultural output. “The World Bank is destroying agricultural production capacity in countries in west Africa where between 60 to 85% of the population are farmers,” he said. On Monday, World bank chief James Wolfensohn said the September 11 terror attacks in the United States would affect the economies of developing countries in 2001 and 2002. “One would have us believe that it’s through the opening of borders and a free market that one can create prosperity,” Bove said, adding that currently “90% of agricultural production is consumed in the area of production. “This applies more to Africa than any other region,” he said, warning that if cheap food products were sold in Africa, local farmers would be wiped out. – AFP
Wednesday October 3, 2001