Minister of Agriculture, Dora Siliya says government has taken steps to provide the basic infrastructure needed to attract young people into the agriculture sector.
Speaking during a panel discussion in Berlin Germany, Ms Siliya said young people can not only be told to move to rural areas and give them hectares of land without an access road, Internet, banks and power.
’So we decided that we needed to begin to develop mini agricultural towns where government provides basic infrastructure then we can attract investors that could result in the provision of forward and backward linkages”, she said.
This is according to a statement availed to ZANIS by Kellys Kaunda First Secretary for Press at the Zambian Embassy in German.
The panel discussion was part of the activities organized by the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
During the conference, Ms. Siliya sat on several panel discussions and participated in plenary meetings where she shared President Edgar Lungu’s vision for the country’s agricultural sector.
Mr. Kaunda added that several organizations have since expressed interest in visiting Zambia soon and take advantage of the opportunities now opening up.
He explained that the five member-panel that included representatives from the private, academic and research sectors focused on sustainable value chains in the supply of food.
Mr. Kaunda stated that they also identified the significance of farmers’ unions and partnerships, how to respond to standardization and the role of regulation.
Also discussed was the role of international and regional bodies such as the United Nations(UN) system, the Southern Africa Development Community(SADC)and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa(COMESA)
And Executive Director of the Geneva-based International Trade Center (ITC), Arancha Gonzalez said young people are not attracted to venture into the agriculture sector.
Ms. Gonzalez said the low profit margins among other factors discourage young people from venturing into agriculture.
Zambia’s Ambassador to Germany, Anthony Mukwita said he was proud that the agriculture Minister ably represented Zambia.
I really do not get why Ms Siliya is going to Germany to talk about what the young Zambians are doing or not doing in Agriculture on the meaningless panels. What the hell is the summit for/
Like her or hate her. She’s doing her job well. Agriculture has now advanced. We need technocrats yes but a minister is just a policy driver. She is a technocrat in the field of pf agri policies. That’s all need to be a minister. Mundia sikatana a lawyer managed because he was driven by the put the party policies.
Mukwita stop posting this rubbish with your Dora.
Lungu said not tell him whom to fire, but these are 2 who can be fired for playing around on YouTube.