Zambia sets budget to improve agriculture sector

Lusaka will be investing funds in smaller, up-and-coming farms to grow the languishing sector

- Jeff Kapembwa

Zambia has stepped up in terms of bolstering its agriculture sector to complement its mining sector, which has been the country’s economic lifeline for over four decades.

Among other priorities set up in the ZK177 billion (about R157 billion) for the 2024 fiscal year, the government plans to develop three farm blocks, Nansanga, Luena and Shikabeta, by improving 300km of roads.

According to government, 10 bridges will be built to enhance connectivity on farm blocks in a quest to prioritise agriculture, which has in recent years languished in spite of its potential. A further 200km of power lines will be built to provide the farms with electricity.

Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, unveiling the 2024 national budget in Parliament, themed Unlocking Economic Potential, said the development of hi-tech farms would be expected to bolster large stocks for domestic consumption and for processing into agro-export goods as Zambia transforms into technology-based farming practices.

More investments in irrigation infrastructure are planned to transform the country from sole dependence on rain-fed agriculture and to ensure farmers are able to plant throughout the year, and various interventions have since been completed.