Eastern Province Minister Makebi Zulu has bemoaned that the province is still exporting raw commodities with little value addition as there was little agro processing taking place.
Mr Zulu said when he officially opened The Eastern University in Chipata on Monday the agricultural systems in the province is not efficient and a lot still needs to be done to address the challenge to make the sector to improved productivity.
He Zulu said the University would help impart knowledge and skills to students and churn out graduates or trained personnel in the field of agriculture.
The minister pointed out that government recognises the paramount responsibility of providing quality education to all Zambians in collaboration with the private sector and communities.
Mr Zulu said that the Zambian Government led by President Edgar Lungu has high regard for tertiary education.
He noted that it was in this vein that Government appreciates the opening of The Eastern University in the province which would specialise in agricultural sciences and management.
“The Eastern University will definitely provide an opportunity to the people in the province especially school leavers.
The university will contribute to five of qualified personnel in the agricultural field, “he said.
The minister said the opening of the university was relevant to the development of the province.
He said the province was an agricultural based region where the majority of the people earn their livelihoods from farming and other agricultural activities.
Mr Zulu reaffirmed that agriculture was the economic base of the province but the sector is experiencing a major challenge of low productivity resulting into decreased yields in all crops and livestock.
The Minister also said there was poor animal husbandry for both cattle and small animals.
The opening was attended by various stakeholders
LUSAKA times can you remove the browser highjacker from your website that wants to con people into be living their android phone is infected and buy software.
You are like a por.n site.
Don’t click on it then. Ni site yanyoko
House fly
Go back to sleeping with ba nyoko.
Was any one talking to you. Son of a bit.ch
But ma University yapaka zoona. How come the calibre in parliament remains intellectually questionable to extreme levels?
This is a parody of the 70s! We have been talking about value addition and diversification forever. It is just the “flavor” that changes. It used to be the parody in support of falling copper prices and UDI in then Southern Rhodesia. Then it became a flavor of the multi-party democracy and liberalization of the economy. Now it is a flavor of new universities and how they can take advantage of their opportunity. God knows what the next administration will use this parody for!
These charlatans are exceptionally unique in their hypocrisy. The govt is ‘bemoaning’ no value addition! If this govt knew what it’s functions are it would have done something about it. But anyway the audience is 95% docile and will swallow anything from these mouth pieces.