Zambia's agri-business powerhouse

Turning the countryside into a viable, sustainable industry on a much larger scale is something people here have talked about for ages.
But until now, it has not happened.
That is because it takes more than mother nature's blessing to turn Zambia into an African breadbasket.


Empty plastic sterilised bottles roll down a Zammilk production line about 50 km north of Lusaka.

It takes less than three seconds for a machine to spray yoghurt into each bottle.
Further down the line, another machine screws the lids on. The bottles are then whisked off to sell in shops.

This factory is not just producing yoghurt, but also fresh milk, cultured milk, and a popular flavoured drink called Zamsip.

Over 25,000 litres of milk products are processed here every day.
The company that runs this processing plant, Zambeef, began as a small butcher shop in the capital, Lusaka in 1991.


Since then it has grown to become one of the biggest food production businesses in Africa.
Place "Zam" in front of just about any food product, and there is a pretty good chance this company is producing it

When it comes to farming, Zambia certainly will not be starting from scratch.
The country's share of food and other farm products in total exports has been increasing - from less than 5% in the 1980s to more than 20% today.

Zambia is also better able to feed itself, becoming mostly self-sufficient in staple products like wheat and maize.
Now, the Zambeef success story might just provide enough incentive for Zambian policy makers to place agriculture at the centre of a new economic strategy.