By MELBOURNE MUSHITU –
THE Government has allocated US$115 million to develop 10,000 hectares of land under the Irrigation Development and Support Programme (IDSP).
. Lubinda
Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda said farming was one of the main sectors that contributed to and promoted national development, and that farmers were entrepreneurs who needed to be supported.
Mr Lubinda was speaking in Lusaka yesterday during the economic panel discussion on agriculture in Zambia.
The minister said the funds were aimed at empowering small-scale farmers in the country in order for them to work efficiently and contribute to national development by producing enough for export purposes.
The discussion was part of a series of economic panel discussions the US Embassy and the Women’s Entrepreneurial Centres of Resources, Education, Access, and Training for Economic Empowerment (WECREATE) Centre were holding to support Zambia’s economic growth and prosperity.
“Small-scale farmers have the potential to boost the agriculture sector in Zambia and the Government will ensure that it invests for them to get the support they need for the country to develop,” Mr Lubinda said.
He said the Government had the capacity to regulate the economy using the instrument of exports and that the empowerment of farmers would promote exports.
Mr Lubinda said the Government was currently discussing with some foreign investors to come on board and promote the agriculture sector in the country.
He appealed to the private sector to participate in the empowerment programmes by closely working with the Government to promote national development.
US Ambassador to Zambia Eric Schultz said the current economic situation in Zambia was an opportunity for the country to promote itself.
“Zambia is in a crisis mode, this means we have many opportunities to show the world that we can make it. Let’s make use of what we have now,“he said.
Mr Schultz said that helping the private sector develop would increase the pace at which the country was growing positively.
He said agriculture was one of the largest sectors in Zambia and that making efforts to promote farmers’ products was good for the country.
