Representatives of Progressive Ag Co., an agribusiness consulting firm based in Blakely in southwest Georgia, will visit Kenya for a third time in October to conduct a feasibility study on how to increase the country’s cotton output.
Jim Carver, a Progressive co-founder, said the company would work with Kenyan government representatives from the ministries of agriculture, finance, industry and trade to develop new farming methods for the country.
GlobalFax spoke with three Progressive co-founders, including Mr. Carver, when they visited Atlanta last month to meet with an African delegation touring the United States to learn more about the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
The study program, organized by the Washington-based Corporate Council on Africa, comprises a series of workshops in the U.S. and Africa to educate key African businesspersons on how their communities can take advantage of AGOA.
Mr. Carver told GlobalFax that Progressive would focus its efforts on assisting Kenyan farmers to grow cotton as a cash crop that can be sold in Africa and to the U.S. under the terms of AGOA. He noted that most farmers in Kenya currently practice subsistence farming.
The company also plans to establish a program that would send Georgia cotton farmers to Kenya to train farmers there in cotton production, he said.
Mr. Carver added that Kenyan officials had been most impressed, during past Progressive visits, by U.S. statistics showing the positive effects of cash crop farming on the economy as it provides farmers with profits to spend on other goods.
In addition to meetings with Progressive representatives, the African delegation also visited United Parcel Service to discuss the company’s expansion into Africa, met with members of the Fulton County Merchants Association and attended an AmericasMart conference related to women’s and children’s apparel during their visit to Atlanta.
Contact Mr. Carver at info@progressiveagco.com