ZAMBIA – Zambia and Angola have joined hands to foster trade relations in the agriculture and livestock sector through enhanced private and public sector collaboration.
This was agreed upon during the Mini Business Symposium between the two nations aimed at stimulating bilateral trade, which culminated with a visit to Zambia’s largest integrated cold chain foods and retail business, Zambeef.
According to reports by Lusaka Star, Angola will tap into livestock products from Zambia which will enable it to reduce importation of the products from Europe and South America.
In January, Angola spent US$10.4 million to purchase 9,700 tons of pork, US$28.5 million to import 31,000 tons of chicken and US$4.09m to bring in 21,900 tons of beef, indicates Jornal de Angola.
The visit to Zambeef was to assess Zambia’s capacity of producing and exporting the livestock products.
The group with operations also in Nigeria and Ghana is principally involved in the production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, dairy products, fish, eggs, stock feed, day-old chicks and flour.
“Let us together change this status by increasing the volume of trade and investment between our two countries through enhanced private sector participation.”
Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Board Chairperson – Bishop David Masupa
Under its cold-chain operations, Zambeef has 5 beef abattoirs with capacity to slaughter 230,000 head per annum (p.a) feeding its meat processing plant with a capacity to process over 100,000 cattle p.a.
The company has one of the largest chicken processors in the country producing fresh and frozen products with capacity 8.8m broilers p.a. and a table egg producer 285,000 layers.
The group’s piggeries and pork processing plants produce bacon, pork sausages and other meat products with capacity to slaughter 75,000 head p.a.
Its dairy farm with approximately 2,738 cows supports the processing plant manufacturing 120,000 litres/day, allowing Zambeef to add value by producing yoghurt, drinking yoghurt, cheese, butter and milk-based juice.
Zambeef also has one of the largest row cropping operations in the country, growing maize, soybeans and wheat, used in its animal feed plants, flour milling businesses and bakery unit.
Other than importation of livestock products, Angola is seeking to benefit from its neighbour’s expertise in areas of cereal and seed production that will enable it to increase crop production and diversification.
Zambia and Angola have since developed an action plan to be implemented under the cooperation protocol signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Angola and the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture.
Mr Walter Roodt Zambeef’s CEO, highlighted that although Zambia is a shining example of a well-managed agriculture sector in the region due to sound policies, industry bodies and other stakeholders need to pull in the same direction in ensuring that the industry thrives and contributes significantly to Zambia’s economic transformation, highlighted Daily Mail Zambia.
“The reality is that if agriculture is to succeed within the economy, all the stakeholders and the Government, with stable policies, industry bodies like the Millers Association of Zambia and Zambia National Farmers’ Union, need to play an integral role together to make sure that the sector can thrive,” he said.
Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Board Chairperson Bishop David Masupa reiterated saying despite agreements on market access at bilateral and continental levels, trade between Zambia and Angola had remained extremely low.
“For example, exports to Angola from Zambia over the past five years have averaged around US$ 5 million only per annum,” Bishop Masupa observed. “Given the combined GDP of US$100 billion and 50 million consumers for both countries, this is extremely low.”
“Let us together change this status by increasing the volume of trade and investment between our two countries through enhanced private sector participation.”
He disclosed that ZDA using the Economic Recovery Plan and the N8+1 Strategy had lined up trade fairs, missions, expos and buyer/seller meetings aimed at significantly increasing exports into Angola.
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