Lusaka – MAIZE output has increased to 3.3 million tonnes in the current harvesting season, the highest production recorded in Zambia’s history.
Agriculture minister Wylbur Simuusa said this afternoon that the production of rice, millet, groundnuts and tobacco has also increased this season compared to the last season.
He said the country’s maize production rose 32 percent in the 2013/2014 season from 2.5 million tonnes in the 2012/2013 season on the back of improved yields, area planted and increased investment in the sector, signalling a possible sharp drop in mealie-meal prices.
“This is the highest ever maize harvest recorded in Zambia’s history and provides us with the opportunity to adequately feed the nation and export the surplus,” Simuusa told journalists at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday. “However, it also brings challenges of ensuring availability of adequate storage facilities to minimise losses and also address export policy issues.”
He said the government planned to export slightly over 300,000 tonnes of maize to Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Kenya.
Simusaa, however, added that the government would be cautious on exports so as not to compromise food security.
“The government through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will buy 500,000 tonnes of maize from small-scale farmers for strategic reserves,” Simuusa said.
He said Zambia’s maize stocks were currently estimated at 3.9 million tonnes, following a carryover stock of 597,192 tonnes from last year.
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Two Students From Burkina Faso and Burundi Invent Malaria Fighting Soap
Any tropical disease expert will tell you that the best way to avoid getting malaria is to not get bitten. But with the rainy season quickly approaching, malaria-bearing mosquitoes are going to be multiplying all across Africa. The World Health Organization estimates that this fever-inducing parasite claimed 395,000 lives on the continent in 2015 alone; it is especially deadly among children under five, the elderly and pregnant women. Just this February,Rebecca “Mama Masika” Katsuva, the Congolese heroine who spent decades standing up for the victims of war-related sex crimes, succumbed to the disease.
So it is especially exciting to see some of Africa’s sharpest minds go to work in search of life-saving solutions. Enter Moctar Dembélé of Burkina Faso and Gérard Niyondiko of Burundi. The two former students made history in 2013, when they beat “650 competitors from nearly 40 countries” to become not only the first Africans but the first non-American team to win the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC).
Their brilliant idea? Faso Soap – a malaria fighting soap they invented using shea butter, citronella and other insect-repelling herbs sourced locally from Burkina Faso. The inventors say they chose soap as a way to protect a wide variety of users because it is low cost and widely used by people of all backgrounds, so it doesn’t require people to accept a whole new behavior:
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Mugabe’s White Farmers Reap 3.3 Million Tonnes of Maize In Zambia While Zim Starves
Lusaka – MAIZE output has increased to 3.3 million tonnes in the current harvesting season, the highest production recorded in Zambia’s history.
Agriculture minister Wylbur Simuusa said this afternoon that the production of rice, millet, groundnuts and tobacco has also increased this season compared to the last season.
He said the country’s maize production rose 32 percent in the 2013/2014 season from 2.5 million tonnes in the 2012/2013 season on the back of improved yields, area planted and increased investment in the sector, signalling a possible sharp drop in mealie-meal prices.
“This is the highest ever maize harvest recorded in Zambia’s history and provides us with the opportunity to adequately feed the nation and export the surplus,” Simuusa told journalists at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday. “However, it also brings challenges of ensuring availability of adequate storage facilities to minimise losses and also address export policy issues.”
He said the government planned to export slightly over 300,000 tonnes of maize to Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Kenya.
Simusaa, however, added that the government would be cautious on exports so as not to compromise food security.
“The government through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will buy 500,000 tonnes of maize from small-scale farmers for strategic reserves,” Simuusa said.
He said Zambia’s maize stocks were currently estimated at 3.9 million tonnes, following a carryover stock of 597,192 tonnes from last year.
Source
Diversity Management Course – Relocation Africa
Our program will cover the following over 3 days:
Six bucket list experiences – Africa
1.Gorilla tracking
“Rwanda itself is a bucket list destination,” saysChris Roche, Chief Marketing Officer at Wilderness Safaris. He suggests visiting the Volcanoes National Park to track gorillas.
Volcano National Park spans 160 square kilometres in Musanze, northern Rwanda. The park can be accessed by public transport from Gisenyi, Kigali or the airport
Visitors will need to arrive at headquarters of Rwanda’s Office of Tourism and National Parks in Kinigi, at the park entrance by 07h00.
Additional activities at the Volcanoes National Park park include hiking Karisimbi volcano (3 800 m), a one day Mount Bisoke volcano hike, and visiting the twin lakes of Ruhondo and Bulera.
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