ZAMBIA – The Zambia Co-operative Federation (ZCF) has received 100 more unit equipment for the setting up of solar-powered mini-milling plants across the country.
This is out of the 2,000 units expected to be in the country for setting up the plants by June 2016, ZCF director general James Chirwa said.
Mr Chirwa said in an interview on Friday that three units are currently operational in Solwezi, Luapula and Kasama.
“By end of January, we expect to receive 400 more units and by June next year, we expect to roll out the project completely,” he said.
He said the milling equipment will be spread across the country depending on the districts’ capacity to produce maize.
Mr Chirwa said each of the milling equipment will have production capacity of two tonnes per day.
He said ZCF will be buying two million tonnes of maize per year from the locals in each location of the milling plants.
“This initiative will also decongest the Food Reserve Agency [FRA] reserves and the treasury will not be spending so much to finance its [FRA] operations,” Mr Chirwa said.
He said the money can then be channelled towards other developmental activities.
He said land has already been cleared in various areas across the country in readiness for all the equipment to be received.
“Fifty slabs have been done in Eastern and Southern provinces and 60 in Northern and Muchinga provinces…Similar works are being done in Eastern, Luapula and Lusaka provinces and works will move to Central Province soon,” Mr Chirwa said.
He said all the 2,000 housing units for the milling equipment were received last Monday.
December 15, 2015; https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=52735
