Agriculture in Guinea
Encyclopedia
In Guinea
in western Africa, only 2.6% of the country's arable land area is cultivated, yet agriculture accounts for 24% of the total GDP and employs 84% of the economically active population.
In 1999, the main subsistence crops were manioc, 812,000 tons; rice
, 750,000 tons; sweet potato
es, 135,000 tons; yam
s, 89,000 tons; and corn
, 89,000 tons. The economy of Guinea also depends on cash crops such as sugarcane
, citrus fruits, bananas, pineapple
s, peanut
s, palm kernel
s, coffee
, and coconuts
. In 1999, an estimated 429,000 tons of plantains, 220,000 tons of sugarcane, 215,000 tons of citrus fruits, 150,000 tons of bananas, 174,000 tons of peanuts, 52,000 tons of palm kernels, and 18,000 tons of coconuts were produced. Coffee production in Guinea has fluctuated over time due to illegal coffee smuggling that affected the industry before the country's reforms in the early 1980s. In 1999 production of coffee beans was estimated at 21,000 tons, compared to 14,000 tons on average annually from 1979 to 1981.
Attempts at price fixation affected agriculture in Guinea in the 1970s and 1980s since the independence. The French has reduced their influence in plantations and the removal of the French tariff had affected production in the 1970s at a time when drought was prevalent. During the 1970s and early 1980s, food production declined and agricultural exports fell markedly. In 1984, a year when drought seriously affected Guinea, 186,000 tons of cereal had to be imported to prevent starvation. However, since 1985, free market policies have advocated the decentralisation of state owned plantations and government owned agricultural produce towards localized private smallholders. There are as many as 500,000 operating in Guinea by the late 1990s which reportedly yielded twice as much as the agricultural output than state owned agriculture did in 1970s, even without financial assistance.
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
in western Africa, only 2.6% of the country's arable land area is cultivated, yet agriculture accounts for 24% of the total GDP and employs 84% of the economically active population.
In 1999, the main subsistence crops were manioc, 812,000 tons; rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, 750,000 tons; sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
es, 135,000 tons; yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
s, 89,000 tons; and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, 89,000 tons. The economy of Guinea also depends on cash crops such as sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, citrus fruits, bananas, pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
s, peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s, palm kernel
Palm kernel
Many plants and trees like olive, soybean, canola, sunflower and coconut palm produce one type of oil. The fruits of the oil palm tree, however, yields two distinct oils - palm oil and palm kernel oil....
s, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, and coconuts
COcOnuts
COcOnuts is the second album released by Jane, comprising Animal Collective member Panda Bear, and Scott Mou. It was originally self-released on CD-R's, but later became the first album released by Psych-o-path Records in 2005. The Psych-o-path version was remastered by Rusty Santos and Edik Kleyner....
. In 1999, an estimated 429,000 tons of plantains, 220,000 tons of sugarcane, 215,000 tons of citrus fruits, 150,000 tons of bananas, 174,000 tons of peanuts, 52,000 tons of palm kernels, and 18,000 tons of coconuts were produced. Coffee production in Guinea has fluctuated over time due to illegal coffee smuggling that affected the industry before the country's reforms in the early 1980s. In 1999 production of coffee beans was estimated at 21,000 tons, compared to 14,000 tons on average annually from 1979 to 1981.
Attempts at price fixation affected agriculture in Guinea in the 1970s and 1980s since the independence. The French has reduced their influence in plantations and the removal of the French tariff had affected production in the 1970s at a time when drought was prevalent. During the 1970s and early 1980s, food production declined and agricultural exports fell markedly. In 1984, a year when drought seriously affected Guinea, 186,000 tons of cereal had to be imported to prevent starvation. However, since 1985, free market policies have advocated the decentralisation of state owned plantations and government owned agricultural produce towards localized private smallholders. There are as many as 500,000 operating in Guinea by the late 1990s which reportedly yielded twice as much as the agricultural output than state owned agriculture did in 1970s, even without financial assistance.