ZAMBIA – Sylva Food Solution Limited has commissioned a processing plant at a cost of over US$150,000 to scale-up their production and farmer outreach capacities.

The plant, which has corn puff, porridge, tea bag and soup processing lines, was jointly financed by Sylva Food Solutions Limited and Musika with funding from the Swedish government and the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development.

“There was a US$46,000 which was used for the first equipment and about US$76,000 for the other equipment,” Sylva Food Solutions Limited director Sylvia Banda said at the commissioning of the plant on Wednesday.

At the same occasion, Musika managing director Reuben Banda said the factory has the potential to stimulate the productivity of smallholder farmers in Zambia.

Mr Banda said the support given to the company is aimed at improving access to an assured off-take market through the development of information-based horticultural out-grower scheme.

He said the intervention is aimed at equipping over 2,000 smallholder farmers with technical knowledge and training to help them improve their yields, quality of their fruit and vegetable crop, and learn how to correctly preserve them for the market.

“Based on their vast experience in processing indigenous fruits and vegetable products mostly grown by small-scale farmers, Musika decided to partner with Sylva Food Solutions by providing financial and technical support on a cost-sharing basis to further scale-up its processing and farmer outreach capabilities,” he said.

Mr Banda also said to help strengthen Sylva Food Solutions extension service support, Musika has provided three motorbikes for the extension staff to reach out to more farmers living in far-flung areas.

November 11, 2015; https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=49031