GOVT TRAINS 270 AQUACULTURE FARMERS
Written by Millennium on September 30, 2019
BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes
@SunZambian
GOVERNMENT has trained over 270 farmers under a project meant to promote aquaculture farming, Finance Minister, Bwalya Ng’andu, has said.
Dr. Ng’andu said during the 2020 national budget presentation to Parliament on Friday that the project however aimed to train
“The objective of these interventions is to raise productivity and make Zambia self-sufficient in fish production, he said
Government, he said, would therefore provide appropriate incentives to stimulate activity in the aquaculture sector in the 2020 national budget to promote aquaculture farming.
Dr Ng’andu said Government would continue to build capacity among fish farmers through training.
“To promote the aquaculture sub sector and make community fish farming affordable, Government would suspend duty for three years on selected aqua culture equipment,” he said.
And commenting on the pronouncements in the agricultural sector, Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) president Andrew Chintala said the pronouncements in the 2020 budget would give hope to farmers who would like to buy into the principle of crop diversification in the country.
Mr Chintala said it was now incumbent upon the Ministry responsible for the sector to take into account the crops that have not been looked at for a long time.
“We hope that the ministry responsible will take into account most of the crops that we have not been discussing about. The budget gives hope to say the policy in as crop diversification is concerned will soon be actualised,” he said.
