GOVT, WB LAUNCH $40M AGRO GROWTH SCHEME
By BUUMBA CHIMBULU GOVERNMENT and the World Bank have officially launched the Zambia Agri-Business and Trade Project (ZATP) with a total cost of US$40 million aimed at supporting farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) countrywide.
The initial districts of focus under the project will be Lusaka, Kabwe, Ndola, Livingstone, Chipata and surrounding areas before being spread to the rest of the country.
Speaking at the official launch in Lusaka yesterday, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Margaret Mwanakatwe, said the project, which would end in 2022 aimed to provide beneficiary support to at least 4, 000 individual farmers, 250 SMEs and 180 producer organisations by 2022.
Ms. Mwanakatwe said the ZATP would also support the enhancement and streamlining of a range of policies needed to provide a robust and enabling environment for the conduct of agribusiness and trade.
“Government has taken into account all the necessary lessons learnt from previous and ongoing agribusiness market linkages initiatives not only within our own country but from other parts of the World also,” Ms. Mwanakatwe said.
And World Bank country manager, Ina-Marlene Ruthernberg, said the bank would soon launch a US$200 million feeder road project for rural areas which would be linked to the ZATP.
Ms. Ruthernberg explained that the road project would be directly linked to the ZATP to enable more targeted groups conduct agribusiness without transports hindrances.
She said ZATP also aimed at contributing to market linkages in agribusiness in Zambia.
“To be more inclusive, growth in Zambia needs to raise the productivity and income of the bottom 40 percent, most of who are employed in the agriculture sector and SMEs,
“The agribusiness we are launching today has great potential to create the much needed jobs and also diversify the economy through increased market linkages,” she said.
Meanwhile, ZATP manager, Gloria Phiri, said the project would focus on improving the ability of emerging farmers and agribusiness SMEs to sustainably and commercially link into larger markets by providing support.