Sat, 03 Jun 2017 12:39:37 +0000
By ANNIE ZULU in Mansa
THE Cassava sub-sector has vast potential to contribute to Zambia’s economy and turn around the lives of farmers, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe has said.
Ms Mwanakatwe said in a quest to diversify the country’s economy from mining to agriculture and other sectors, Government was focused on the production and commercialisation of cassava.
The Minister was speaking in Mansa district during the launch of the Zambian Breweries Plc Cassava Project yesterday.
“Government has put more emphasis on diversifying its economy from copper to agriculture, and we have realised that the Cassava sub-sector has so much potential to contribute to our country’s economy and improve the lives of local farmers if taken seriously, so we want to ensure that we promote Cassava production in the country,” she said.
And Zambian Breweries Chief Executive Officer Annabel Degroot said the company had engaged over 4,000 farmers in Mansa and intended to engage more.
Ms Degroot also said the company was this year targeting to buy more than 3, 500 metric tonnes from the farmers.
Zambian Breweries has embarked on a project of buying Cassava from local farmers in Mansa for manufacturing of its latest and famous Eagle Lager beer.
And Ms. Mwanakatwe has commended Zambian Breweries for coming up with the project.
She said the project had demonstrated a positive and significant impact on the country’s social economic front.
Ms. Mwanakatwe has since called on other private sectors to emulate Zambian Breweries in supplementing government’s efforts by investing in the Cassava sub-sector.
“I wish to commend Zambian Breweries for a job well-done in contributing to the growth of the Zambian economy. As a government, we are always happy to work with investors and organisations that bring economic and infrastructure development in the country,” she said.
She explained that once the raw cassava material was harvested, it would be milled into Cassava flour for manufacturing of beer. And Luapula Province Minister Nickson Chilangwa said the project was the largest investment in the province.
Mr Chilangwa noted that the project would improve the lives of the people in Mansa, who were majority Cassava farmers.
“With this injection, our local farmers will have increased incomes, support their families and improve their living standards,” Mr Chilangwa said.
He further urged farmers to expand their fields and earn more money, in order to improve their living conditions.
