Kafue Beef Economic Zone Will Accelerate Exports - HH

President Hakainde Hichilema has said that the establishment of a special economic zone at Kafue Flats for the production of beef will accelerate growth and exports from the region.

Speaking at the Lwanza Traditional Ceremony in Bweengwa, Monze district on Sunday, the President said that government has already secured markets for Zambian beef and that exports are likely to start within a year.

The traditional ceremony is held each year to showcase animal wealth of the Lungwe people and to pay homage to ancestral spirits believed to be living in the magical, manmade Lwanza river

“We are determined, despite the drought, to take advantage of the resource endowments god gave us to be able to export beef. I’ve done my homework, we as a govt have done our homework , we should be exporting beef in a couple months or at least max one year from now,” President Hichilema said.

He added, “We want to do things that will allow the people endowed with this asset to raise more cattle to reduce the disease burden, control diseases, improve the genetics, and then we will be able to enter the export market while we feed our local people with beef.”

Special economic zones have relaxed legislation and certain tax exemptions to encourage investment and promote business development. Government, through the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) has set a target of increasing Zambia’s livestock population to 6 million by 2026. To this end, government has set up the Animal Identification and Traceability to better monitor livestock populations and manage outbreaks of disease.