Resource information
The agricultural sector has been given a high priority in the government’s planning for development. The current national thrust is for the sector to move from subsistence to commercial mode of production. This strategy aims to increase household incomes and lead to a 50 per cent reduction in poverty over twenty years (ROR 2008). With its projected contribution to economic growth, modernisation of agriculture is seen as one of the six pillars of Vision 2020 along with sustainable land-use management and basic infrastructure (ROR 2000). Agriculture is also explicitly recognised in the EDPRS as one of the four priority sectors that will both stimulate economic expansion and make the greatest contribution to poverty reduction (ROR 2007). The other sectors are health, education and road maintenance
By 2020, agriculture is envisaged to contribute 33 per cent to GDP whereas industry, including agro-processing, is expected to grow from current levels of 14 per cent to 26 per cent of GDP (ROR 2000).
