Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo visits Amantheon Agri Farm in Mumbwa on Wednesday,June 28,2017. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2017
President Edgar Lungu has urged commercial farmers to empower locals as they conduct their farming business.
Speaking when he together with his Ghanaian counterpart Nana Akufo Addo visited at Amatheon agribusiness in Mumbwa today, President Lungu says locals working in commercial farms also need to be empowered with life skills for self sustainability and not kept as mere laborers in the agri business.
And President Lungu has also emphasized the need for value addition to crops grown in the country especially maize.
He says value addition brings in more revenue to farm produce than when exported in raw form.
And Ghanaian President Nana Aakufo Addo echoed president Lungu’s remarks on the need for youth empowerment in the agri business.
He says young people working on farms merely end up as labourers throughout their lives while farm owners benefit more.
President Addo says there is need for farm labourers to get their deserved education for self sustainability in future.
He is however, pleased that investors in the country are integrating rural areas as great sources of revenue, through manufacturing and agriculture, using state of the art technology.
President Addo has since invited commercial farmers engaged in food processing in the country to extend their investments to Ghana.
And Amatheon chief executive officer, Carl Bruhn has pledged the company’s commitment to applying world-class farming techniques, technology and commercial farming operations in the country.
He has also pledged support towards locals by empower them with various skills in the course of their work.