Zambia Coffee Growers Association General Manager, Joseph Taguma has urged small holder farmers to venture into coffee growing based on its value on the international market, with the recent Zamstats report that indicated that the commodity contributed 7 percent to the country’s export earnings in the
month of January.
“If we were able to get our small holders into growing coffee and even these emergent farmers as long as they are able to irrigate it, they will be able to produce good quality coffee which will be acceptable on the international market. We have the market as well as technical expertise in terms of agronomists who can assist in ensuring that we’re able to produce good quality coffee and take advantage of the
international market,” echoed Taguma in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business
Times (ZBT). “If 4,200 Metric tons can be able to contribute 7% in terms of export earnings then there
is more to earn if we produce 40,000MT.”
He expressed delight at the feat and called on the farmers to participate in the growth and increase the percentage contribution, revealing that currently the country only relies on company known as Northern Coffee Corporation, which is based in Kasama.
Taguma further stated that currently that target is to amass a total export production of about 4,200 metric tons of Coffee. “As a country today for example if we had about 40,000 of coffee, we would sell it all because the market is available.”
He however bemoaned the lack of financing “unfortunately the position now is that the country doesn’t have long term finance for people to be able to go into tree crop agriculture.”
Taguma further alluded that Tree Crop Agriculture has been neglected for many years “It is not
the right crop politically” as it takes at least three years before one can start to get results from
it.
“Countries like Rwanda, Burundi here which are not even the size of Northern Province are able to produce respectively 24,000- 25,000MT on average per year what more we, with the quality weather conditions at our disposal.”
