PARLIAMENTARIANS recently heard about irrigation as a means of countering water challenges in agriculture.
Irrigation can help improve productivity for Zambia’s farmers.
Irrigation is a necessity especially as the country continues to experience increasing growth in market demand for agricultural produce.
This is according to Zambeef joint Chief Executive Officer Francis Grogan.
Mr Grogan was addressing parliamentarians recently.

•PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu visits and irrigated maize field at Zambeef in Chisamba.

“Demand for food and agriculture-based products in Africa is expected to reach US$1 trillion by 2030 and Zambia needs to be ready to tap into this opportunity. Establishing sustainable policies on issues such irrigation will be key in reducing uncertainty in production and putting farming at the heart of Zambian economic development,” said Mr Grogan.
He was speaking as a group of parliamentarians toured Zambeef’s Huntley Farm in Chisamba.
Mr Grogan pointed to the fact that irrigation would help to ensure that farmers were able to grow crops on a much larger scale, multiple times in a year.
The food processing and retailing giant has large row cropping operations – principally maize, soya beans and wheat – with approximately 7,971 hectares of row crops under irrigation.
The crops are planted twice a year.
It has a further 8,623 hectares of rain-fed/dry-land crops available for planting every year.
Speaking on behalf of the seven Law makers, Chairperson for Parliamentarian Committee on Agriculture and Livestock Maxas Ng’onga said Zambeef was one of the major stakeholders in the sector and played an important role in understanding irrigation in the country.
“We wanted to find out some of the challenges big institutions like Zambeef face in establishing irrigation so that we can have policy influence within the Government agricultural system,” said Mr Ng’onga.
He said Zambeef was a major player in the agricultural sector and one could see how the company has improved the value chain, livestock and cropping.
He said so many farmers look up to the company for markets and consumers depend on it for produce.
The tour by the committee of parliamentarians was part of a national study on irrigation systems.
The study was aimed at tackling some of the challenges that agriculture companies face in the country.
“Farmers respond to market needs and the projections for food and agriculture-based products demand in Africa for 2030 should spur confidence in the sector and bring about increased investment over the coming years,” Mr Ng’onga said.
Mr Grogan encouraged farmers across the country to not just focus on increased production but ensure that the quality of produce is maintained as well.
He further called on the farmers to begin viewing farming as a way to create wealth both at individual and national levels as opposed to purely a means of sustenance.
“It is clear that agriculture is a critical factor in the economic transformation of Zambia, in addition to the mines. The urgency with which the task of developing the sector must be undertaken cannot be over-emphasised,” he said.
He explained that agriculture must be presented not only as a means of earning a livelihood for farmers but as a genuine tool for wealth creation; farmers must learn to look at agriculture as a business capable of generating wealth,” said Mr Grogan, who emphasised the need for farmers to think beyond primary production and look at ways to add value to turn Zambian produce into finished products.
This would in turn lead to the establishment of new industries, employment creation as well as generation of much-needed revenue in tax and foreign exchange earnings from exports, and ensuring food security.
Zambeef exports to Angola, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Kenya and Mozambique, creating a market in the region for Zambian agricultural goods
However, Mr Grogan cautioned that this alone would not enable the sector to achieve its full potential, but rather a concerted effort was needed from all stakeholders, investment in technology and infrastructure, and deliberate policies would encourage the growth of local industries.
“While we are aware that market demand drives productivity, Zambeef is sensitive to the fact that other vital factors such as road infrastructure, storage and inputs among other things, require equal consideration; only when the production stage works to mirror the market demand and vice versa will our farmers have the opportunity to really develop and increase their capacity,” Mr Grogan said.
In the case of livestock, over 90 per cent of cattle in Zambia are reared by small-scale farmers, for which Zambeef provides a huge, ready market for their produce.
The dairy sector is rapidly developing.
Demand for milk currently out-strips supply.
Zambeef has invested heavily in its Kalundu Dairy Farm with state-of-the-art facilities to enhance milk production.
A further milk processing plant has been set up in Mongu where the company is working to develop more local dairy farmers.
This has not only provided a ready market for dairy farmers but has also significantly reduced the risk of milk spoilage during transit.
Zambeef is also one of the largest buyers of maize and soya beans from small-scale farmers for its Novatek stockfeed operations.
Zambeef has been working closely with stakeholders, including various Government ministries, non-government organisations (NGOs) and farmers across the country to enhance the efficiency and productivity in the value chains that feed into its operations.
Zambeef Products Plc is the largest integrated agribusiness and food processing company in Zambia and one of the largest in the region.
The group is principally involved in the production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, dairy products, eggs, stockfeed and flour.
The group also has large row cropping operations (principally maize, soya beans and wheat), planting 16,500 hectares in summer and 8,000 hectares in winter.
The group is also expanding its West Africa operations in Nigeria and Ghana.
The company slaughters around 70,000 beef cattle, 6.75million chickens and 70,000 pigs per annum, while also processing 16 million litres of milk, producing 150,000 tons of stockfeed, 60 million eggs, 78,000 pairs of shoes and processes 97,500 hides in its tannery per year.
It has 177 retail outlets throughout Zambia and West Africa.
Zambeef employs over 6,000 people with a total of K307 million paid in remuneration and benefits in the last year.
The company contributed K144 million to Government in taxes and duties – Langmead & Baker.