LUSAKA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Zambia launched a major project on Friday to address post-harvest losses in the agricultural sector.
The initiative is being led by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in cooperation with Zambia's Ministry of Agriculture, supported by a 15.37-million-U.S.-dollar contribution from the Green Climate Fund and AGRA.
Maziko Phiri, country manager for AGRA in Zambia, said the initiative represents a bold commitment to solving one of Africa's most persistent and under-addressed agricultural challenges.
"Our mission is to catalyze inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa by increasing incomes and improving food security for smallholder farming households," Phiri said at the launch.
The project aims to develop, test, and scale up climate-resilient technologies and practices to reduce food losses, specifically in Zambia's maize and soybean value chains.
It will provide farmers with improved post-harvest handling, drying, and storage solutions, strengthen market systems to ensure that reduced losses translate into increased incomes, and promote the use of climate-smart technologies.
John Mulongoti, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, hailed the new initiative as a significant step toward reducing post-harvest losses in Zambia.
He noted that Zambia loses between 30 and 40 percent of its maize and soybean harvests every season. "These losses are primarily due to inadequate storage facilities, poor handling practices, and limited access to affordable preservation technologies," he explained.
Mulongoti stressed the timeliness of the project, saying it comes at a crucial moment for Zambia as the country recovers from a severe drought.
"The drought not only impacted food production but also exposed the inherent vulnerabilities in our entire agricultural system," he added. ■