Zambia: Zambian Breweries aiming to reduce dependence on barley imports

Zambian Breweries Group expects to reduce expenditure on importation of barley if local experiments on the cultivation of the crop prove successful, corporate affairs director Chibamba Kanyama was quoted as saying by The Post on November, 2.

Currently the company spends about K35 billion every year on the importation of the commodity.

Speaking at Miller Farms where barley is being grown on a pilot basis, Kanyama said the company would re-invest the savings into expansion programmes and help create over 45, 000 jobs in the country.

“We are spending over K35 billion annually on importing barley and we only hope this pilot project becomes successful and we expect to significantly reduce expenditure by about K10 billion,” Kanyama said.

He said the company imports barley from Europe and that it was cheaper in the past when Zambian Breweries was importing from Zimbabwe.

Kanyama said the entire project was being undertaken within the Zambian Breweries’ enterprise development policy.

And officiating at the first harvest of barley under the pilot project, agriculture minister Brian Chituwo said it was not good to depend on imports of raw materials for growth and economic development since it reduces chances of the country to get foreign direct investment.

He said it would be good if the projects succeeded because smallholder farmers would also benefit from the venture.

“Zambian Breweries should be encouraged for deciding to locally source some of its major raw materials for their beer production and as government we will like to see Miller Farms passing on their barley growing skills to smallholder farmers,” said Dr Chituwo.

The pilot projects were being carried out at Miller Farms, Galaunia Farms and at two other sites in Mpongwe district.

04 November, 2009