By LAWRENCE KABUTU –

THE Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (SAPP) has approved grants to four cooperatives in Chikankata district amounting to K154, 000 to improve the farmers’ livelihood.
Chikankata District marketing and development officer Kambole Chansa said this in an interview with the National Agricultural Information Services in Chakankata.
Ms Chansa named the beneficiary cooperatives as Bata, Katuya, Simutwe and Choolwe that will venture in, goat production, marketing, and piggery production.
She said that the core mandate of SAPP is to increase quantity and?quality of smallholder producers.?Ms.
Chansa further said the programme will also increase value?addition of smallholder produce and increase market access as well as?demand for local smallholder produce.?She clarified that SAPP will also improve agribusiness management?practices by helping to better link farmers to other stakeholders.
Ms. Chansa stated that the four beneficiary cooperatives have since?completed construction of a livestock service centre, goat structures,?piggery unit and bulking centre to market their livestock.?She appealed to SAPP to provide the final grants to the cooperatives?to be fully fledged in carrying out their activities.
She observed that the eight-year programme was approved by the?government and will end in 2017.
Ms Chansa pointed out that the total allocation to the four?cooperatives is K250, 000.-NAIS