Zambia's largest brewer announces project to support 3,000 smallholder cassava growers

Zambia's biggest brewer on Tuesday announced a project that will see it support 3,000 smallholder cassava growers to get involved in its value chain, a senior company official said.

Zambian Breweries Plc, a subsidiary of South Africa's SABMiller Group, one of the world's largest brewers, said it was working on an initiative to buy surplus cassava from small-scale producers in Luapula Province, north of the country.

A company statement said the company has been evaluating plans to set up a processing site in Mansa district, the provincial capital of the province, in order to source cassava and support small-scale agriculture, a move that has been spurred by a favorable excise rate of 10 percent on cassava-based lager when compared to 20 percent excise rate that was based on a lower content of cassava input.

Franz Schepping, the company's technical director said the initiative entails that the company will increase the amount of cassava it will be buying from the small producers in the province.

"We are looking to the nation's small-scale farmers to supply raw materials for the beer we brew. The same farmers are also, I believe, critically important to the future of Zambia and to its hopes for progress and prosperity," he said.

Zambian Breweries was established in 1968 and is the major producer of clear beers as well as soft drinks in the country.

The northern part of Zambia is known for cassava growing, which is a staple crop but most of it has not been commercialized. Endit