ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (APA) – A five-day African forum on agriculture opened Monday in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, and will discuss the challenges facing agricultural production on the continent.

The 12th forum which is attended by African ministers of agriculture is being held under the theme “Making agri-business work for rural livelihoods”.

Ethiopian State Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Abera Deresa said despite difficulties, Africa is showing a great progress in utilizing its agricultural potentials than ever before.

He underscored the need for African leaders to allocate enough resources to boost agricultural production in the continent.

Five years ago at the forum, African leaders agreed to allocate about 10 percent of GDP for agriculture.

Dr. Abera Deresa said Ethiopia’s annual budget allocation to the agricultural has shown a remarkable growth and has reached 16 per cent of the national GDP in 2007.

The forum which is organized with support from the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (NEPAD-CAADP), in collaboration with the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ).