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EVENTS
The 6th edition of Agritech Expo Zambia returns to the GART Research Centre in Chisamba from 11-13 April 2019.
Boosting the Zambian agricultural industry
The goal of the expo is to establish a marketplace for regional and international industry professionals, young agripreneurs and farmers of all scales. The German pavilion has been part of the event since its inception six years ago, which “clearly shows our interest in the Zambian market and that of the exhibitors”, says Martin, adding “the country still has a stable policy environment, which means the government supports the agricultural sector and promotes commercial farming. Commercial or emerging farmers are more 26 African Farming - March/April 2019
Image Credit: Agritech
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HIS YEAR, THE event is expected to bring more than 20,000 visitors from some 39 countries, over 220 local and international exhibitors, including country pavilions so far from Germany, China, Czech Republic, the European Union, Italy and the UK, with 3500 VIP and large-scale farmers and 150 members of the media. Agritech Expo Zambia is free to attend for all visitors that pre-register. The goal of the expo is to establish a marketplace for regional and international industry professionals, young agripreneurs and farmers of all scales, to come together in one location to conduct exclusive agribusiness transactions while being educated on the latest global industry trends to advance into the next generation of food production. Agritech Expo is simply the only professional business led event servicing the needs of the entire agricultural value chain in Zambia and its neighbouring countries. “Mechanisation is the key to the farming business of the 21st century and will definitely have positive effects like higher outputs, generate more income for the farmer itself and the society.” This is according to Martin Botzian, head of communication, DLG International GmbH, and conveners of the German pavilion at Agritech Expo Zambia.
Agritech expo services the needs of the entire agricultural value chain in Zambia and its neighbouring countries.
likely to invest in a country with stable policies. Zambia is still a good place to grow crops and raise animals. There is enough fresh water for irrigation.” "The CNCIC has organised a Chinese delegation to participate in Agritech Expo Zambia” says Allen Li, deputy exhibition department manager at the China National Chemical Information Center (CNCIC). He adds, “The CNCIC is an authoritative provider with comprehensive service in the chemical industry and relevant areas, including information consulting, exhibition and conference, e-commerce, IT service, publication, etc. This year, we'll bring four to five Chinese top class, high-tech agrochemical manufacturers in our pavilion and present their brand products which are specifically developed for Zambia's agricultural conditions.” As in previous years, Agritech Expo enjoys extensive support from the agri industry with well-known suppliers Agriserve, SARO and Zamseed already confirmed as gold sponsors. The exciting new features to expect at the expo this year include Livestock demos and workshops giving farmers a first-hand experience on how best to care for their
livestock, live planting demos to feature the best way to plant seeds with the right mix of agrochemicals and technology to attain solid yields, live crop trials with visitors given an opportunity to view the yield of seeds from a variety of seed producers and respective agro chemicals companies. The Construction Park is a welcome addition to Agritech Expo Zambia and offers visitors a selection of quality construction equipment to suit their agricultural needs. The Irrigation Zone displayed a variety of irrigation systems and farming solutions, including centre pivot displays for commercial and small-scale farmers from leading industry suppliers. Jervis Zimba, president of the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) says the huge success of last year’s Agritech Expo in the face of numerous challenges, “showed that the organisers, the local partners and the government always manage to work together towards excellence year after year to deliver an outstanding product that has proven to be valuable and indeed unmissable for regional farmers of all scales, exhibitors and sponsors alike.” h www.africanfarming.net