From ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
LUSAKA – THE upcoming Agritech Expo Zambia will feature a record number of six international pavilions from countries hailed as leaders in farming.
Among these are Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
For four years now the German Agricultural Society has been involved in Agritech Expo Zambia.
At Agritech Expo Zambia this year are official country pavilions from the UK, the Netherlands, France and the Czech Republic.
“The Zambian market is exciting because it is diverse, booming and very professional” says Aude Roelly, Sub-Saharan Africa Area Manager at ADEPTA, an organisation of 240 French companies specialised in agriculture and agri-food processing, and convenors of the French pavilion at Agritech Expo.
The Holland Pavilion at Agritech Expo will host 18 Dutch companies, mainly active in the poultry and dairy sectors, accompanied by several Dutch knowledge institutions that are leaders in their field of expertise in agriculture.
Joost van Dam, director atNetherlands Export Combination, and organisers of the Holland Pavilion, said Zambia would need to acquire resources such as capital, expertise and equipment in order to realise its full potential.
“Dutch companies can provide some of the required inputs owing to the strong position of the Netherlands in global dairy and poultry value chains,” van Dam said.
The UK Department of International Trade has acknowledged the immense trade and investment potential that exists in Zambia’s agricultural sector, said Jelena Duza, Trade and Investment Adviser, Southern Africa, Agri-tech & Healthcare at the Department.
“This year, we have chosenAgritech Expo as an important platform to allow UK companies to access this potential and make an important contribution to the industry in Zambia,” she added.
Set for Chisamba in April 27-29, Agritech Expo Zambia is owned by the Zambia National Farmers Union.
Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK, is organizing the event.
– Guardian