GOVERNMENT DONATION

By HAPPY MULOLANI GOVERNMENT through the Enhanced Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (E-SAPP) has donated 10 vehicles worth K3.5Million to the Department of Agribusiness and Marketing in the Ministry of Agriculture. Agriculture Permanent Songowayo Zyambo commended the programme for the support rendered, noting that the vehicles will enable the department to facilitate and implement the programmes activities which relate to the promotion of agribusiness and stakeholder. Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary Songowayo Zyambo, Director of Human Resource Morgan Malambo said during the hand-over ceremony in Lusaka recently. He said the provision of the vehicles will ease the implementation of the programme activities. E-SAPP Programme Coordinator Kwibisa Lywalii says every province has been allocated a vehicle to enable them execute the programme’s activities in order to contribute to the development objective of increasing the volume and value of agribusiness production by smallholder farmers. And Director of Agribusiness Kezia Katyamba urged staff to ensure they utilise the vehicles for the intended purpose of promoting agribusiness interventions among smallholder farmers in the 10 provinces areas of commodity of focus. E-SAPP is a programme under the Ministry of Agriculture and jointly funded by the Government of the Republic and the International Fund Agricultural Development (IFAD). The programme’s main goal is aimed at increasing the incomes, food and nutrition security of rural households involved in market-oriented agriculture. E-SAPP is working with 61,000households in 30 focal districts countrywide. It is being implemented nationally and focuses on four commodity groups which include legumes, small livestock, rice and aquaculture.