Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo signed a US$24 million export deal, part of which includes supply of day-old chicks, sausages, fish, pork among other foodstuffs to its northern neighbour.
Under the Zambia Development Agency-an export and investment facilitation Government agency, of the total US$24.5 million deal agreed during a recent trade mission to Lubumbashi in the DR Congo, US$11 million are confirmed export deals while US$14 million are leads.
A statement availed to FRA shows that confirmed orders and leads will be a facilitation of supply of day-old chicks, chicken sausages, fish, pork, maize seed, mealie meal, maize samp and beans. Others are Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), safety clothing and copper cables and pots.
The Agency is following up on the participating companies with trade leads to ensure that they translate into actual export transactions and earn Zambia foreign exchange, according to a statement citing its acting Director General, Albert Habalwa who notes Zambia’s bid to make the neighbor Zambia’s number one market for Non-Traditional Exports.
“These results are a further testimony that both large companies and SMEs can both earn foreign exchange and thereby significantly create jobs and wealth for the Zambian citizens. ZDA’s strategy going forward is to facilitate market access for as many companies as possible to export products and expand the exporter base to DRC Mr. Halwampa is cited.
The agency plans to increase its trade mission to DRC and expand its market for Zambian products while expanding into Tanzania, Haut Haut-Lomami, Lualaba, and the usual Haut-Katanga provinces of the DRC,
Last September, 45 export ready and exporting Zambian companies were taken to DRC by ZDA, Government of Finland through the Finnish government funded Accelerated Growth for Micro Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Zambia (AGS Zambia Programme) and ABSA Bank Zambia PLC to secure market access for their products.
The Zambian enterprises including large companies and Small and Medium Enterprises were drawn from various sectors including agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, tourism, mining, processed foods, leather and textile.
The main objective of the trade mission held from September 22- 24, was to facilitate the growth of Zambia’s non-traditional exports (NTEs) and to secure market access for Zambian products.
The Agency seeks to ensure that Zambian companies penetrate, expand and consolidate the Congolese market. The trade mission was part of the implementation of the N8 +1 Export Strategy aimed at increasing NTEs in the region, particularly the low hanging fruit markets of DRC, Angola and South Africa.
Meanwhile the strengthening of the Kwacha against the United States dollar, has affected the export of chicken, eggs and day-old chicks to DR Congo and sector seeks to expand markets within the region to realise real returns following rising demand for meat related products and hatching eggs says Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ) executive manager Dominic Chanda.
According to Chanda the sustained appreciation of Kwacha had had affected demand for most poultry products especially the DR Congo. Zambia had until recently dominated the regional market exporting day old chicks and hatching eggs for the past two years but was being affected by the rising Kwacha value coupled with the ban on poultry related products to South Africa because of challenges.
Efforts are underway by Zambia to renegotiating exports with the Democratic Republic of Congo -DRC- being the major export destination for commercial broilers and commercial layers while other countries also look to Zambia for the same.
Failure to allow exports will result in closure of various providers including a multimillion dollar facility in Mazabuka in Southern Zambia and is the sole regional supplier of one breed and is responsible for about 15-percent of the 97-thousand jobs across the poultry value chain
Zambia produces about 2-million-day old chicks weekly against a demand of about 1.5 million.
[…] Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo signed a US$24 million export deal, part of which includes supply of day-old chicks, sausages, fish, pork among other foodstuffs to its northern neighbour. Under the Zambia Development Agency-an export and investment facilitation Government agency, of the total US$24.5 million deal agreed during a recent trade mission to Lubumbashi in the DR Congo, US$11 million are confirmed export deals while US$14 million are leads. Read more: Farmers Review Africa […]
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