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HomeAgribusinessWFP pledges to support local food producers grow their businesses

WFP pledges to support local food producers grow their businesses

The World Food Programme – WFP in collaboration with the National Food and Nutrition Commission have called on members of the Sun Business Network-SBN involved in food production, processing and marketing to engage and explore opportunities for growing their businesses while contributing to the positive nutrition outcomes.

Speaking during a meeting attended by the Zambian Business Times-ZBT held on Match 27th in Lusaka, WFP Country Director Jennifer Bitonde said the platform aims at mobilizing businesses to act and invest in sustainable actions and operations that contribute to positive nutritional outcomes.

Bitonde said WFP will intensify the engagement between government and private sectors in promoting dialogue to maximize private sector’s expertise and resources in contribution to nutrition.

And Zambia Bureau Standards-ZABS says the company has laboratories which should serve manufactures to have their products tested before putting on the market to ensure that they are of good quality.

ZABS Director of Technical Services Margaret Lungu says the company will latter this year launch a front-of-pack certificate mark called “Good Food logo” to promote consumer awareness about good nutrition leading to increased demand for nutritious products.

Speaking in a separate interview MUSIKA project manager for Agricultural Markets and Nutrition Jonathan Mwewa told ZBT that the company’s contribution to scaling up nutrition business is to implement a market development initiative that integrates maximization of nutrition outcomes for women, children the poor and small holder farmers into the Zambian agri-food market.

Mwewa said MUSIKA’s aim is to align incentives and create opportunities with the agricultural economy for the private sector to sustainably integrate nutrition objectives into its business models that relate to the rural poor.