Question: What are the financial considerations if I want to buy a farm? First and foremost you should have money or assets. It would help if you had collateral, such as a house, livestock and vehicles. A good monthly income, or a good yearly income in the case of a…
The Bank of Zambia (BOZ) says the high level of debt among agricultural producers has left the banking sector “nervous” and less willing to provide finance and credit lines. In a statement released after a meeting held between BOZ Governor Denny Kalyalya and Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) president Jervis…
Agriculture is no longer a popular career choice, and a ministerial committee should be appointed to discuss urgent problems. This was one of the recommendations from a panel of the Academy of Science of South Africa (Assaf) in the report “Revitalising Agricultural Education and Training in South Africa.” Several panel…
The profitability and sustainability of livestock farming is under severe pressure. Fortunately, top farmer Mecki Schneider has excellent advice for extensive cattle and sheep farmers. This is the second delivery in a three part series on ten tips for the restoration of livestock farming. 2. Profitable herds An effective cow…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has signed a US$39 million deal with the Zambian government to implement a programme that will aim to help small-scale rural farmers increase production. This is as the African Consumer Union (ACU) called on government to create a more enabling…
More than 61 000 smallholder farmers will benefit from a US$22 million International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) project aimed at helping them commercialise. According to Zambia’s Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary Pamela Kabamba, the project will encourage the uptake of market-oriented agriculture among women and youth. “The project will…
The World Bank says Zambia should increase public spending on agriculture to wean the country from copper dependency. “Low agriculture productivity remains the main impediment to poverty reduction. This leaves enormous scope to increase agricultural productivity by improving public spending in the sector,” said country manager Ina-Marlene Ruthenberg. She spoke…
Zambia’s state-owned grain buying company, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is facing a financial crisis. This created concerns about its readiness for the marketing season which opens on June 1. Executive Director Chola Kafwabulula told a Parliamentary Committee on Estimates the cash shortage is hampering operations. “We need additional funding…
The opportunities were there for farmers to diversify and grow their businesses through funding, said Stanbic’s Head of Agribusiness in Zambia, Mr. Leon Kotze. However, farmers needed to be able to show they had the ability “to measure and monitor the life cycles of their various commodities and the various…
A US$25 million programme called AgriFin Accelerate (AFA) has now also been launched in Zambia to drive digital advancement for small scale farmers. The program was launched by Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian aid agency. It is run in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, which works with non-profit organisations to…
The AGCO (agricultural company) corporation has expanded into Africa from their Asia Pacific region, and has said it hoped to offer solutions to small-scale farmers. “Our line of mechanisation, grain storage, seed processing and protein solutions supports the complete spectrum of farmers, from emerging sector to large [scale farmers] and…
