The President of Zambia, Edgar Lungu, will attend the official opening of the fifth Agritech Expo Zambia outdoor farming exhibition, to be held in Chisamba from 12-14 April 2018
More than 22,000 visitors and exhibitors are expected to attend this year’s event, which will feature about 270 local and international agri-equipment and services suppliers.
The theme of the President’s address during the opening ceremony on 13 April will be: “Resilience part of Zambian nature: Applauding every step forward towards the modernisation of Zambian agriculture.”
Lungu will be joined by Kampamba Mulenga, Zambia’s minister of fisheries and livestock, and Michael Katambo, minister of agriculture in Zambia.
Speaking about the event, Jervis Zimba, president of the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) and the owner of Agritech Expo Zambia, said, “We have to grow agriculture. This year’s Agritech Expo would avail the latest technologies and agro innovations and machinery that would help the farmer pick up the pieces and start on a fresh agro-trajectory.”
Marshall Plan for agriculture
“The ZNFU is in the process of producing a Marshall Plan for short term, medium term and long term agricultural plans that, if adopted, could help propel the sector to a whole new level,” Zimba commented.
Zimba noted, “We are seeing a shift in the way farmers are conducting business. Many are venturing into fruits and vegetables. There are some farmers that have started growing blueberries, macadamia nuts and such other cash crops. These need support by giving them incentives that would yield growth.”
The event will focus on ways to continue the progress to Zambian agriculture, progression of Zambia’s fisheries and livestock sector and other ways to implement food and nutritional security to the farmers and their families by increasing agro-trade activities.
