São Tomé and Príncipe - Agriculture

São Tomé and Príncipe is an agricultural country. According to the World Bank, in 1997 the agricultural sector contributed 23.3 percent of the GDP and provided employment for 39.6 percent of the economically active population. The agricultural sector mainly produces cocoa, which constituted 86 percent of export revenues in 1997. It also produces coffee, copra, coconuts, and palm oil. Since almost all agricultural production of the country is export-oriented, it has to import foodstuff. By the mid-1990s it imported almost 90 percent of its food requirements. The government accepted a program to develop smallholder farms since 1993 in order to diversify agricultural production. However, inadequate training, poor road quality, and limited access to markets hinder this development.