SHOPRITE says Zambians need to invest in the horticulture sector to save the country foreign exchange on imports.
Shoprite general manager, Charles Bota, said while local farmers have increased vegetable supplies, the production of fruits is still a challenge in Zambia.
Mr Bota said as a result of lack of fruit supplies, the retail giant still stocks imported apples, grapes and strawberries.
Shoprite says it is gratifying that some Zambian fruit farmers are now reliable suppliers, adding that Africa’s biggest supermarket is committed to reducing imports by supporting local produce.
Mr Bota said, although sourcing from Zambian suppliers remains a challenge because the climate and soil in the country do not favour cultivation of fruits such as apples, strawberries and grapes, some local farmers are using modern technology to commercialise production.
Mr Bota cited Khal Amazi Farm in Chongwe, which grows grapes as some of the farmers Shoprite is engaging to supply fresh fruits.
“The more difficult side, even 20 years later remains the fruits side. [However], for the last four years Shoprite has been sourcing grapes locally during the November harvesting window from Khal Amazi farm in the Chalimbana area of Chongwe ,” Mr Bota said in response to a query on Friday.
He said Khal Amazi, which sells about 200,000 kilogrammes of grapes annually, this year exported their first local fruit to Shoprite stores in South Africa, thus contributing to Zambia’s foreign exchange revenue.
Mr Bota said Shoprite is also facilitating the export of mangoes to Botswana as its commitment to promote local produce.
He said Shoprite also sources about 90 percent of its vegetables locally in a quest to support Zambian vegetable farmers.
Mr Bota said the development has been necessitated by Shoprite’s increased training of farmers on quality.
“When Shoprite opened its first store in Zambian 20 years ago, we imported almost 90 percent of the fruit and vegetables because the local farm produce supply situation could not meet retailer’s volumes and quality. Shoprite Zambia now sources almost 90 percent of its vegetables locally,” he said.
GOOD EDUCATION MR. BOTHA. WE THE ZAMBIAN FARMERS APPRECIATE YOUR ADVISE. THANK YOU.
@Truth, I second that.
Zambians are blessed with abundant fruit trees at their homes.I don’t think any Zambian child will lack mangoes,guavas this season.We also have orange,lemon and avocado trees….etc.These are all picked straight from the tree.They do not accumulate salicylic acid because of being picked raw and being stored in fridges. Zambia is just fine in terms of fruits.What we need perhaps is developing in technology to be able to dry the fruits,or make jams,lotions,body lotions etc.Lets not copy westerners whose kids are developing allergies due to glycophosates and increased salicylic acids in fruits.We just fine.
Face it Guys,
Only whites and Indians can grow fruits. ..THIS IS A SCIENTIFIC FACT.
Spoken like a true slave.
Zambians enjoy shopping and not producing.
Look at those empty carts people are pushing, they just enjoy pushing those wagons. Sometimes they fill them up to brim, then leave it in corner after greeting people around and take pictures for facebook. Take pictures of yourself in a farm.
@ Nostradamus
Why do then disguise yourself if indeed you are man enough? Having an undeveloped large piece of land does not mean having a farm, the two are very different!
I wonder whether you the so called Nostradamus actually work ’cause you are always on this blog politicking!
@The Patron, Why you think LT post things every minute? You think those guys have no gardens? I am here because I have a good job (THANK GOD), and I don’t like shopping.
About name, call me: NOSTRA. That’s my name, and well known person in Luapula Province.
Kikikikikikikikiki!
next year I will produce 5 tons oranges and 2 tonnes nutches (mandalela) I hope shop right can buy these fruits from me.
(spokes binani) I’m a Zambian from kopala I grow oranges (2 varieties) and nuthces ( 4 varieties I have at my farm) here in kitwe and I sell them locally.
Chile the largest copper producer in the world has just annpounced the laying off of 4,000 miners from their mines! So the opposition must not cheat our miners on the Copperbelt that they have a solution to this global problem if anything, it is dangerous to trust people who have never worked in Government before to try and deceive you that they have solutions. The prices of minerals like copper, gold, oil have just collapsed and no one especially HH should cheat the unsuspecting miners. If anything, if he comes there to lie, just stone him. Copperbelt must start going into Agriculture and NOW!
I kinda dislike this idea of negatively comparing ourselves with other countries that are having similar issues. Chile can lose all their miners if they so wish. That, however, doesn’t mean that we Zambians should also celebrate when our people lose jobs because this and that country are also struggling!! What kind of nonsense is this?
Is Botswana’s, Namibia’s or South Africa’s miners losing mining jobs. Dont even try to tell me that its because they dont produce copper!!
The only thing we should be imitating are positives from our neighbours, not their calamities.
@Patriotic.. This is not even a platform for mining job losses. Its about fruit production in Zambia.
When Shoprite entered the Zambian market,they came with Fresh Mark Africa and got tax concessions with a promise that they would help Government and Farmers to develop the horticulture sector. They said they realised that Zambia had great potential and being central could produce and distribute to the subregion. 20years down the road I still see tiny pineappple,avocadoes,mangoes etc imported from S.Africa not only in Shoprite but in Spar,Food Lovers and Pick n Pay!! So what happened to the Fresh Mark’s programme of developing farmers’ capacity? Government needs to move on this issue seriously… Zambia is a much more ideal climate for tropical fruits than its southern neighbours so we should be the ones exporting tropical fruits to them. However, nothing wrong to import what we cant…
Charles Bota should just admit that Shoprite is a South African agent, in Zambia only to promote goods from RSA. Why talk about fruits when Shoprite imports even Bread from South Africa? Shoprite’s procurement Dept (JC, you Irish bastido, you know it! ) make it difficult for local companies to supply Shoprite. I bet the companies like Khal Amazi are owned by some whites. That’s why they are being championed here by Bota.
It is about time that we took care of our own, instead of relying on big boys like Shoprite and the like. We all know that these guys only care about supplies amongst themselves. Case in point, why should we have imported butternuts and onions in these South African chain stores, when produce just rots in places like Chibombo. Zambians, let us wake up!