AN article I read this past week under the headline ‘Nigeria won’t devalue currency’ is the basis  for today’s write-up.
In the said article, Nigeria’s vice-president Yomi Osinbajo is quoted telling a town hall meeting in Lagos that the Government was turning to agriculture to salvage the economy in view of the falling oil prices.
Nigeria is a prime producer of oil, which is a major foreign exchange earner for that country, but as commodity prices on the global market continue tumbling, the Naira is losing ground against other convertible currencies and faces a risk of devaluation.
This is exactly what Zambia is going through as well. The Kwacha has depreciated sharply over the past one year due to the fall in copper prices, which has lessened the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
President Edgar Lungu’s Government is now spearheading a crusade for the country to turn to agriculture as the mainstay of economic activities away from mining.
For Nigeria, an African economic powerhouse, with all of its tycoons, to be at that point of realisation, it is certain the global economic environment is unfavourable and countries need to find quick solutions.
In Zambia, the mining sector is on its knees though this does not mean that it will not resurrect.
The mining sector will ultimately recover but with the lessons drawn from the current episode of job losses, it will be at no one else’s peril should dependence continue to be solely on mineral production.
This is why the Government along with the citizenry should collaborate in ensuring that the economic diversification agenda is realised without fail.
The agriculture sector offers an opportunity for continuity as all resources required for it to flourish such as soil and water are available all year round and do not diminish.
In the place of rain-fed farming activities, irrigation is a viable option and this is why agriculture is more sustainable than mining.
President Lungu was recently in Chisamba to launch a US$28 million irrigation project at Mwomboshi where a dam will be constructed for the purpose of having 6,000 hectares of land under irrigation.
Already, this is a step in the right direction as it will support productivity by dealing which the negative impact of climate change which has seen most parts of the country record drought.
Zambia’s central position on the African continent makes it the most suitable supplier of food to other countries and by this, it means the country has the potential to become the prime food basket of Africa and beyond.
Government has been doing a lot to encourage the participation of smallholder farmers in agriculture-intensive programmes, hence facilities such as the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) are welcome.
If farmers are continually empowered with resources to enhance productivity, the goal of making agriculture the main economic activity will be achieved.
This is why it is elating to hear that projects such as the Mwomboshi irrigation scheme will be extended to other parts of the country to benefit more farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture should work towards attracting more multinational firms to invest in the sector as has been the case with mining.
Agriculture is a cost-effective venture and profit is certain because food is an essential commodity whose demand never depreciates.
The sector has the capacity to rake in as much foreign exchange as mining because there are countries which do not have the rich soil that Zambia boasts of and the only solution is to import food year in year out.
Comments and contributions to jameskunda91@gmail.com or 0973182006.