Zambian government calls for investment in food processing.

The government of Zambia has urged investors to hugely invest in Zambia’s food processing, as it is believed that there is prospect of increasing the agriculture value network and the country’s economic growth through diversification.
Matongo Matamwandi, the Zambia Development Agency’s Director of Investments, told attendees of the 2017 Henan Industrial and Commercial Enterprise (HICE) cross-border investment and trade fair, an annual event sponsored by the Bank of China and the Henan provincial leadership, that investors should go into agriculture, most especially food processing – both in small and large scale as Zambia has the potential to rapidly grow economically in that area.
Mr Matamwandi further said that Zambia as a member of regional blocs creates avenues for investors to grow their businesses through ready markets locally and in the region.
“There is vast investment potential for food processing in the country covering both large and small-scale industries in each of the 10 provinces.The country is a land-linked country surrounded by eight countries, thus providing access to sea ports and international markets is through roads, rail, and air,” he said.
He disclosed to investors that agro-processing opportunities exist in agricultural produce like cotton, maize, beans, groundnuts, cassava and tobacco processing.
He also urged the investors at the event to explore opportunities in beef, dairy and meat processing in Southern Province, pineapple canning, honey production, agro forestry, and coffee in North-Western Province and rice and maize processing in Muchinga Province.
The event annually brings investors from across the world to explore investment opportunities through business-to- business linkages most especially in Zambia and China.