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Agriculture Minister, Moses Moyo, has called for increased participation by small-scale farmers and greater private-sector investment to expand Zambia’s coffee industry and boost its contribution to the economy.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Moyo said coffee had the potential to generate foreign exchange, create jobs and improve household incomes if the country increased production and strengthened the entire value chain.
He was speaking during his inaugural meeting with the Coffee Board of Zambia as part of consultations with agricultural institutions on transforming the sector.
“Zambia needed to shift from subsistence farming to commercial and market-oriented agriculture capable of supplying both local and international markets,” Moyo said.
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He identified coffee as one of the high-value crops that could drive this transition through increased production, investment, value addition and improved market access.
The minister challenged the Coffee Board to encourage more farmers, particularly small-scale producers, to venture into coffee farming.
He said small-scale farmers needed support in accessing quality planting materials, extension services, affordable financing, modern farming technologies and reliable markets to participate effectively in commercial agriculture.
Moyo said bringing more small-scale farmers into the coffee value chain would increase national output while creating additional income opportunities for rural households.
He also called for greater investment in productivity, mechanisation, innovation and agro-processing, saying agricultural transformation should extend beyond primary production.
Moyo said strengthening the coffee value chain, from cultivation to processing and marketing, would enable Zambia to retain more economic value from its agricultural products rather than relying mainly on exports of raw commodities.
He said a competitive coffee industry could support economic diversification, rural industrialisation and sustainable employment, particularly in communities dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Moyo said the Government was committed to creating an enabling environment for agricultural institutions and private-sector players to work together to expand production and improve the competitiveness of the sector under the Grow Zambia Agenda.
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