Guinea Agriculture and Fishing Overview

Agriculture

Despite fertile soils and a favorable climate, only a few percent of Guinea’s surface is cultivated. Food production has increased in recent years, but is still not enough to feed the country’s population. Agriculture is based on small family farms that cultivate for their own use. The most important crops are rice, cassava, sweet potato and corn. Coffee, bananas, oil palms, peanuts, pineapples and citrus fruits are grown for export.

  • CountryAAH: Comprehensive import regulations of Guinea. Covers import prohibitions and special documentation requirements for a list of prohibited items.

In recent years, exports of fruit and vegetables to Europe have increased significantly as both the quality of the goods and the means of transport have improved.

Livestock management is conducted on the Fouta Djallon mountain plateau, as well as in the savannah areas in the northeast where there are no tsetse flies that spread sleep sickness. The grazing herds and the swede farm have wiped out parts of the forest and soil erosion has become the country’s biggest environmental problem. In 2013, there were approximately 5 million cows, 1.8 million goats and 1.78 million sheep in Guinea. For Guinea defense and foreign policy, please check prozipcodes.

The transition from plan economy to market economy from the mid-1980s has led to a certain increase in the peasants’ crops. Agriculture is still hampered by a lack of capital and spare parts, problems in finding functioning transports and limited opportunities to store the crops. The country that previously exported rice, which is the most important staple food for most Guineans, and other foods must now be imported in large quantities of food.

The domestic fishing fleet is poorly equipped. Most of the fish caught in Guinean waters – about two-thirds – have been taken up by EU vessels that pay licensing fees to Guinea. However, the EU decided to break the agreement in 2009 because of the then regime’s violation of human rights, and it has not yet been resumed. There is also extensive illegal fishing in Guinean waters, including Chinese boats. In 2014, the EU banned all imports of fish caught by vessels from EU countries in Guinea.

FACTS – AGRICULTURE

Agriculture’s share of GDP

17.8 percent (2018)

Percentage of land used for agriculture

59.0 percent (2016)

2017

December

14 will be brought to trial for massacres in 2009

December 30

Justice Minister Cheick Sako announces that 14 people suspected of involvement in the 2009 massacre will face trial. At least 157 people were killed when security forces opened fire on protesters, and 109 women were raped by soldiers (see September 2009). It is unclear when the trial can begin. Both the United States and the EU have pledged financial support for the legal process.

Ready for local elections in February 2018

December 5

It is now clear that local elections will be held on February 4, 2018. This since President Condé gave his sign. This will be the first time that local elections have been held in the country since 2005. The timing has long been a major dispute between the government and the opposition, and despite a number of agreements, they have been postponed several times.

November

Guinea is promised $ 20 billion in aid

November 16

At a donor conference in Paris, Guinea receives $ 20 billion in aid over five years. The money will mainly come from the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Arab Coordination Group, the EU, France, China, Russia and India as well as several private donors. Investments will be made on building better roads, improving electricity supply and reducing the economic dependence of the mining industry.

At the same time, the country’s GDP appears to grow by almost 7 percent, thanks in large part to increased production of bauxite and gold and various agricultural products.

Ebola money disappeared into corruption

November 3

The Red Cross apologizes for the equivalent of $ 6 million in aid funds disappeared through corruption and fraud during the Ebola crisis in West Africa 2014 to 2016. For Guinea, it is about 1.2 million who disappeared at too high prices for goods and fake invoices from a companies that helped get goods through customs. Two more cases of fraud are under investigation.

September

Local elections will be held in February 2018

September 25

The Election Commission sets a date for local elections: February 4, 2018. What remains now is for President Condé to approve the date through a decree .

It will be the first time since 2005 that the Guineans have the opportunity to elect their local representatives.

Violent protests in the mining town of Boké

September 17th

Dissatisfaction with constant power cuts leads to unrest in the mining town of Boké. Armed youths destroy the ruling party RPG’s local offices and occupy parts of the city. Stores and markets are looted and a number of vehicles are destroyed.

Behind the protests, there is widespread dissatisfaction that the income from the nearby bauxite mine has not been shared by the city’s residents. Two people are feared to have been killed in connection with the unrest and at least 50 have been injured.

To calm the feelings, President Condé dismisses the city’s prefect Mohamed Lamine Doumbouya, and electricity generators are sent to the city.

Unrest has occurred earlier this year, not only in Boké but also in other cities in the region.

Opposition: “no local elections until 2018”

11 September

According to a spokesman for the opposition, Aboubacar Sylla, the election commission Ceni has announced that no local elections will be held until 2018. Sylla says the message was given at a meeting aimed at solving the problems surrounding the elections. According to a settlement between the government and the opposition from autumn 2016, the elections would have been held by February 2017 at the latest.

August

Thousands require local elections

August 2

Thousands of opposition activists are demonstrating in Conakry for the demand for local elections to be conducted, which has not happened in twelve years. In October 2016, all political parties agreed that local elections should be held in February 2017, but nothing has happened since then. Nor has anything been done with a promised new electoral law or updated voting lengths.

February

Ministers are dismissed

February 27th

Following the shooting deaths in connection with the teacher strike earlier this month, Condé dismisses three ministers via decree . The strike has ended after the government concluded a deal with the teachers.

Five dead in connection with teacher strike

February 20th

A strike breaks out since the government decided to lower the salaries of many teachers. Many students support the teacher strike. The protests in several places in Conakry lead to clashes between students and the military police. Five people are shot to death.

Guinea Agriculture and Fishing