LUMUNO Organic Farms has entered into an agreement with Millet Place Company of Holland to grow teff which will be exported to Holland.
Teff is an African whole grain, native to the arid lands of Ethiopia and it is both drought and flood resistant, making it the preferred crop for harsh environments.
Lumuno director Khama Mbewe said teff has a high nutritional value and is more profitable.
“We have entered into an agreement with Millet Place Company of Holland to grow teff which will be exported to Holland after harvest and we are currently carrying out trials for three months to see how the seed will adapt to Zambia,” he said.
He said if the trial of teff is successful, the firm will engage small-scale out-grower farmers to grow it and later buy it from them after harvest.
Mr Mbewe said the company has signed a five-year contract with the Millet Place company and that it’s the first time that it is being grown in central Africa.
He said the crop is easier to grow and that it is in the millet family of crops and the firm wants to introduce this new cash crop so that it helps to reduce the depence on maize as one of the major cash crops.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Good news but shouldn’t they have checked as to whether teff can grow in Zambia first before winning the contract?
This Teff thing is very “Nutritious”. Look at how healthy Ethiopians are. LOL
A good Zambian making it… well done
What is the procedure of introducing such foreign materials in the country? I thought such materials would have been controlled under quarantined environment to access whether or not have some undesirable insects and diseases before growing it. Are Mt. Makulu and Environmental Council of Zambia involved in the research? GIS data can also help in identifying the kind of soils and other growing conditions of teff, before embarking on research. I have personally eaten teff in the UK at my Ethiopian and Eritrean friends. It is good food.
Lumuno, soldier on and live up to your name. No fracas, no noise, just work. Future success belongs to those who see possibilities now before they become obvious to every body.