Agric to be Zambia’s economic backbone – Lungu

Sat, 10 Jun 2017 09:43:58 +0000

By KELVIN SIABANA

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu says the Government has resolved   to make agriculture the mainstay of Zambia’s economy because most of the citizens depend on it for their livelihood.

President Lungu said the Government would continue to support the agriculture sector by putting up programmes such as the farmer input support programmes that were meant to uplift the living standards of the people.

The President said this in a speech read on his behalf by Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe during the official opening of the 60th Copperbelt Mining, Agriculture and Commercial Show in Kitwe under the theme ‘‘Adding Value to Home Grown Solutions”.

He said there was also need to construct the agricultural infrastructure such as dip tanks, milk collecting centres, dams and farming storage sheds.

The President said in order for the agricultural sector to be revamped and have a positive impact on the population, there was need for increased value addition in the sector.

He said to achieve sustainable value addition, the agriculture industry needed to be fully supported like other sectors in the country.

“We take cognizance that in order for the agriculture production to have a positive and significant impact on the livelihoods of the population, there is need for increased value addition to crops, fisheries and livestock,” President Lungu said.

He said that in the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP), Government had put the agriculture at the centre to be supported by other sectors.

He said Government in March this year launched the second national agricultural policy which aimed at addressing the key bottlenecks faced in the agricultural sector such as low production and productivity.

He noted that Government would continue to support the private  sector investment in agro-processing, manufacturing and industry through the creation of an enabling  environment such as formulating and putting in place favourable policies and investment incentives.

President Lungu said Zambians should take advantage of the incentives that were being provided by Government to engage in value addition in agriculture as well as other sectors of the economy.

He said some of the key facilities that the  Government had put in place to support the agriculture sector included the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) loan portfolio scheme and the Public Service Microfinance Farm Scheme.

And Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo said Government was delighted with the innovations exhibited at the 2017 Copperbelt show.

He said Government attached great importance to the agriculture sector as it was a major contributor to the country’s economy.

And the Copperbelt Mining, Agriculture and Commercial Show Society chairperson London Mwafulila said the 2017 event had attracted more than 160 exhibitors from within and outside Zambia.

Mr Mwafulila said 11 countries were participating at this year’s show, adding that the show society would embark on a number of   developmental programmes to upgrade the current infrastructure to international standards.

He noted that over the years the show society had enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Government because of the latter’s good economic policies.