ZAMBIA – Zambia has launched the National Livestock Development Policy (NLDP) aimed to transform the livestock industry, in order to enhance social economic development.

The policy will be implemented over a 4-year span period from 2021 to 2024, with an expected expenditure of 1.45billion (US$80m) kwacha.

Its focus will include promoting sustainable livestock production and productivity, promote standards and quality of livestock and its products, and strengthen livestock research and development.

Also, it will promote sustainable management of farm animal genetic resource, improve animal welfare and livestock production environment to promote animal health service delivery, as well as improve management of livestock and water resources.

The policy will finally establish a livestock information management system.

“The policy brings out a number of positive steps of improving the livestock industry in different areas. It focuses on productivity, which has been a major problem for a long time.”

Poultry association of Zambia Executive Manager – Dominic Chanda

As a member of the livestock industry, the Poultry association of Zambia was pleased with the launch highlighting that it will give confidence to investors to pour resources into the sector.

“The policy brings out a number of positive steps of improving the livestock industry in different areas. It focuses on productivity, which has been a major problem for a long time,” said PAZ executive manager Dominic Chanda.

Grant funding for Zambian agribusinesses

Meanwhile, an EU funded project dubbed ENTERPRISE Zambia Challenge Fund has been launched in the country to strengthen agri-business and aquaculture markets.

Self Help Africa with Imani Development, are the fund managers of the initiative that targets to invest €26m (US$31.3m) in the sector over five years (2020 – 2025).

The project will issue grants to support between 35-45 agribusinesses who have the potential to integrate smallholder farmers in the market-integrated and nutrition sensitive value chains, reaching up to 150,000 small-scale farmers, and create 8,000 new jobs in the sector.

So far, the fund has awarded 5 Agri-businesses a total of €4.3M (US$5.1m) to expand and diversify their businesses, under the first call for applications.

These businesses are Alliance Ginneries, CHC Commodities, Copperbelt Forestry Company, Good Nature Agro and Afriseed-Stewards Globe.

Call 2 of the ENTERPRISE Zambia project is currently open with Call 3 to be launched in Quarter 3, 2021. The size of financial support ranges from EUR 150,000 to EUR 1,000,000.

The ENTERPRISE Zambia Challenge Fund is implemented in parallel with a European Investment Bank (EIB) credit facility and EU funded programme “Technical Assistance and Financial Instrument support for Zambia Agriculture Value Chain Facility” implemented by EIB which will be disbursed through qualifying Zambian financial institutions (commercial banks, micro finance institutions, etc.).

This project is also supported by Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Ministry of Finance as the National Authorising Officer.

The project is part of the EU’s ‘Support to the Sustainable Commercialisation of Zambia’s Smallholder Farmers Programme’.

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