An Asian Youth Volunteers programme, under the United Nations (UN) project, would soon engage peasant farmers in Choma district of Southern province in sugar cane production and processing in a bid to enhance self –reliance and food security.
Asia Youth Volunteers programme team leader, Rao Venkata Rama Rao, said the project would engage over 300 farmers in sugar cane production and processing.
Dr. Venkata Rao was speaking during a working lunch in Choma with the National Agricultural Information Services today.
He disclosed that his project would exploit the vast potential in sugar cane production and processing that exists in Southern province.
He said increased sugar production and processing would also improve the energy levels among the people in rural communities.
Dr. Venkata Rao stated that the low cost sugar processing plants that were being used in India would be introduced among rural households to process sugar for home consumption.
He explained that the Asia Youth Volunteers programme would partner with the department of cooperatives in the ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Southern province to implement the sugar cane production and processing project.
And United Nations Volunteers Agricultural Development specialist, Pervaiz Akthar, said the project was committed to improving the welfare of rural communities in the agriculture sector.
Dr. Akthar noted that the project would use sugar cane raw material, known as bargas, to generate fuel for processing sugar.
He explained that the small holder sugar cane project would be implemented among farmers who have easy access to water for irrigation purposes.
The pilot project would be implemented in chief Singani’s area in Choma district.
He told the National Agricultural Information Services that Southern province is endowed with vast potential for sugar cane production, adding that this potential should be exploited.
Ndayindwa kulima minsale kumusanza. It is a vital project if successful will provide food security and self reliance. Have the feasibility studies done and what kind of sugarcane varieties will be grown in Singani area? I am very much interested in the project. Could you provide the exact location in Chief Singani because he has a vast chiefdom that shares borders with so many chiefs.
Good call
Ndayindwa T-shirt ya kapondo na minsale mukamwa.
Hatembo, Hachintu, next up is hhhehheehhee, coming soon to a blog near you, watch this space …lol
That’s a very good move and well,utilise this opportunity to better your lives and your families!diversification in agriculture is very good and brings about develiopment.don’t just rely on maize ,cotton and tobacco.
Looks like people of SA r the only ones progreessing in Zambia
The simple fact is that, Sugar canes requires lots of water and fertile soils.It is more suited to Soils which are loam, with average to good Capillarity and Drainage . Thats why Mazabuka was chosen it is not by coincidence.
The Cane field in Zambia were initially in Chirundu area where the soils are barren dry, Hot and High Drainage.
This is question for Choma vs Sugar Cane…
Now Sata wants to talk to LPM!!hahahahahaaaaah!! what goes round comes round my dear!that’s good news though.
#where will they get water in choma?.Lets stop day dreaming Zambians,of late people in have become overzealous and over excited.Nowadays people just talk about Uranium,Sugar cane,Oil,Food surplas,Gas,Copper,diamonds Gold etc.My point is I think we need to take ease and explore project after project.People are everyday trying hard to plaese the president beacause they have realised what he likes to hear etc discovery of……..
#where will they get water in choma?.Lets stop day dreaming Zambians,of late people in have become overzealous and over excited.Nowadays people just talk about Uranium,Sugar cane,Oil,Food surplas,Gas,Copper,diamonds Gold etc.My point is I think we need to take ease and explore project after project.People are everyday trying hard to plaese the president beacause they have realised what he likes to hear etc discovery of……..
Choma1,they shall make canals I suppose.they can easily make dams for that purpose.stop thinking issue sare impossible.
school of natural resources CBU, Water engineering NRDC…UNZA..hydrology and the list is endless…big brains from there i suppose can provide assurance of the success of this project!
Do we really need someone from Asia to open our eyes about the potential for this project in Zambia?
#12 Big Ben You are overzelous Nakambala sugar estates still has capacity for expassion to make it one of the renouwend sugar or gashu plantation.Lets try to exhaust on what we have AND not shift failure or lack of vission from one place to another
11. Nchelelebula canals from where? why? all we have to do is to intensivy in Mazabuka.I know what am talking about.Go TO nakambala and ask them what vission they have.we need zambian firms to start competing for a place in Africa and then on the world stage.God Has blessed us with resources but the question do we have a vission?.last time it took the church and prayers to have our debts cancelled big where were your brains by then?You talk of canal sit down and come up with map to see how your iirrigation system and costs sre gone look like.
for some you who dont in mazambuka there is already this programm
They shall make canals from the scratch mudala and that’s what we call development.let’s not limit ourselves to Mazabuka,if other areas of the country can do the same then,the better for our economy.Choma1 pliz don’t be rigid mukwesu.
#13-why can’t one be overzelous about such project! I’m aware there is a plant run by sable transport (Kafue sugar) and another in the Northern Province all these are failing to meet local demand. ZSG had the monopoly and buyer power to dictate the price of buying cane from farmers and selling prices. If technocrats say it’s viable why not when the market is there?
Nchelelebula, First of all, you need to do feasibility studies and Envirol Impact Assmt(EIA).
A canal is a delivery or transmission system from Reservoir to consumption Point. By itself is not solution. it is part of system.
Do! the Geography of Choma and locate the water source points.
If you build Dams, which River? or is it a Rain Reservoir Dams?
Only the Viability assment, and ROI would trigger the investment is these parallel infrastructure which also cost Money.
Stop dreaming.. It is more feasible to turn Choma into a Seasonal Crop Boom..by irrigating crops like maize, Wheat, Sorghum etc by building Dams which would support 6-8 months growing periods.Canes 12months crop.
HK,whatever has been done else wher could be done even in Choma.you are the chaps that hinder development coz you limit your thinking.Even if I told you that Gwembe could be like Ndola you would refuse right?
Choma1 wrote:
>>for some you who dont in mazambuka there is already this programm>>
Does he realise that people outside of Zambia (i.e. in the real world) might read this comment? What on earth is he talking about????
” He said increased sugar production and processing would also improve the energy levels among the people in rural communities. ”
Because this is what malnourished people need – more sugar.
How about having a comprehengive agrarian revolution, where every farmer has 100 hectares and a tractor, and can grow whatever crop they want. This is the way forward where agriculture, food security, rural poverty and the economy are concerned. We need hundreds of thousands of medium sized Zambian farms and farmers.
That will give rise to all kinds of spin-off businesses, demand for services and will inject cash into the rural areas in a way that involves everyday citizens.
The idea of having communities providing raw materials to factories is one way of empowering locals. I hope indians of Kawambwa Tea estate could decentralize tea growing. The locals could be trained and be given some loan. This idea is working in Tukuya-TZ.