Veep explains goat export opportunity

VICE President Inonge Wina yesterday told Parliament that the opportunity for local farmers to export goats to Saudi Arabia is a chance for them to earn money and make agriculture a business.

Ms Wina urged the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries to disseminate more information in rural areas so that farmers could know about the available market.

She said there was also need for the ministry to tell the farmers about the hygienic conditions that where required for the goats to be accepted.

This came to light during the Vice President’s question time, when Kwacha Member of Parliament Joseph Malanji asked Ms Wina what measures Government had put in place to help peasant farmers meet the primary hygienic conditions, considering that Islamic countries were strict on hygienic issues.

Ms Wina however, assured that the Ministry of Livestock was working on modalities of how farmers could export the quality of goat that the market in Saudi Arabia was looking for.

In January this year, a taskforce comprising ministries of Livestock and Fisheries, Agriculture, Commerce, Trade and Industry and the representatives from the private sector was formed to develop a roadmap that will help expedite the process of goat and sheep commercialisation in Zambia.

It was also tasked to supply quality products for export to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.

Zambia’s goat population is estimated to be at about 4.8 million and over 150,000 sheep.

Meanwhile, Ms Wina reiterated that Government was aware of non-payment to transporters who transported maize and other farming inputs.

She said the Ministry of Finance has since released funds amounting to K115 million to Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to be given to transporters to enable them carry on with their duty.