THE Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) is this week expected to conclude negotiations with Bonafarm Group which won the tender to develop Nansanga farm block’s anchor core venture plot.
Over 10 local and international companies bidded for the development of the Nansanga farm block in Serenje district in Central Province.
Among the companies that bidded for the Nansanga development are Polyserve Fertilizer from Egypt, Bonafarm Group from Hungary, Sable Transport Limited from Zambia, and Sea Agriculture Group from the United Kingdom.
In an interview, ZDA acting director-general Florence Mumba said the Hungarian investor is expected in the country this week to conclude the deal for anchor core venture in Nansanga farm block.
Nansanga farm block, a 155,000-hectare area, is part of government’s programme to open up viable farm blocks in various parts of the country to be involved in primary production and value addition.
Mrs Mumba said the Hungarian investor is expected to provide technical and financial capacity to establish a processing plant and add valuation for the farm block.
The Nansanga farm block design includes one core venture (10,000 hectares), commercial farms ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 hectares and smallholdings of about 30 -300 hectares.
She said 310 small farms have been allocated to Zambian investors who are expected to pay for the survey diagrams.
“The farm block is ready for investors, farming should start as soon as people get their survey diagrams,” she said.
Mrs Mumba said works done by government at the farm block include electrification, construction of dams, bridges and access road to the area.
She said the anchor investor will be expected to put up more infrastructures in the farm block such as access roads because Government has not done much.
Nansanga farm block is a plateau, dominated by Miombo woodlands with between 700-1,000 mm average annual rainfall.
Maize, beans, soya beans, groundnuts, Virginia tobacco, rice, tea, sunflower, finger millet, coffee, wheat and oil seeds are suitable crops for the area.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
MMD projects
#1 MMD projects my foot, those petty criminals would have just single sourced the project to the investor who gave them the thickest envelope.
The chosen candidate was selected before elections. PF had no hand in this. ZDA is just following its work program. The farm blocks projects was an MMD initiative to create jobs and enhance incomes in rural areas from the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The only PF project for job creation is to legalise street vending.
bo Maxwell … MMD actually oversaw the whole tender process
by the way, what is being done about Apollo (belonging to Chikwanda) which was single sourced for a $4million renovation of state house whilst Sata was paid $2500 per week to stay in rhodespark
Simeza dont worry, i will be in govt by then, chikwanda will be our 1st client with mulenga sata whether they pretend or change the law we will go for them
Please give them quickly they commence their operations. these farm blocks should have an outgrower scheme. so once the main producer in the CORE VENTURE sets up then many other farmers will be inspired to take up their plots and develop them.
Please be done with this project so that we focus on the Luapula one in Luena.
Well done MMD for the project.PF can you iniate projects of your own instead of reaping where you did not sow.
Why look for foreign investors at all?
Isn’t there some money to be found to develop Nansanga Farm Block domestically?
That would maximize the impact on the local economy, especially if workers keep most of the profits.
Any ideas? Why get someone from Hungary.
And by the way, did you know much of Hungary and Lithuania are up for sale? :)
You can buy a very cheap house with some land there.
this is a land grab phenomenon currently going on in africa.
Cancel this. Hungary have just been listed as a junk economy why give them this land? Get the Zimbabwean white farms and give them the land and you will see what will happen in Serenga?
MMD project my foot. Its project for the people of Zambia.
We are busy auctioning our land to the highest foreign bidder when we ourselves can invest in this; Hedge fund managers are secretly buying huge hectares of land across Africa so they can invest in crops that produce bio diesel…biofuel is the future and soon jet fuel and motor vehicle fuel will switch to bio-diesel and this is where the jobs can be created at the same time reduce our dependence on middle eastern crude oil.
@2 MAXWELL
The selection of the anchor investor was done before elections. PF had no hand in this. ZDA is just following its work program. The farm blocks projects was an MMD initiative to create jobs and enhance incomes in rural areas arising from the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The only PF project for job creation is to legalise unregulated street vending!
When was the last time you expat Zambians came home to see whether there is enough local capital and expertise for local investors to build Nansanga block on their own? It is easy to sit in a pub in Sandton or London and pontificate about Zambian capacity to do things for themselves when you yourselves ran away in fear of poverty and under-utilisation. Zambia needs credible FDI to develop. We failed to do it alone under Kaunda. Let us try other models of development.
completely agree. dont waste time on those who dont utsrednand the true essence of vagabondingwelcome back home (sorry 3 months late haha)
#14 Chief Turd So what if it was an MMD initiative, MMD is gone now, kicked the fӣk out of government, get the f%7k over it, what do you want the PF government to do to abandon the projects just because it was MMD. Mind you that party was in power for 20 years. Where do you expect this government to get funding when its policies are just started being implemented with the budget.You are a chief turd indeed 20 years of MMD has turned us into mere consumers for South African goods unable to think outside the box everything has to outsourced.
I wish to congratulate the dedicated team of fearless men and women who oversaw this tender process, In case you don’t know, The Former Power That Be wanted Sable Transport to grab that piece of land. Amongst all bidders Hungary outstood and outmatched all contenders. The Hungarian economy cannot be compared to Zambia or some so called westerners, do your sums before blablablabing for nothing. Hungarians are some of the best farmers in the world and many westerners are fleeing to that country, running away from their rundown capitalist so-called highly developed nations, my foot! Have you been to budapest? Hungary, Czech Republic, Russia, Former Yougoslavia, Romania and Bulgaria offered higher education to many Zambians who are now highfliers today. Muletasha!
Kennismanagement heb ik aljitd heel boeiend gevonden. Je bent/wordt er vast een kanjer in.En zoals Smetty al zei, er is op Edublogs zeker plaats voor een kennismanager.Het is inspirerend dat jij in het Edublogs team zat/zit, dus, indien je nieuwe situatie het toelaat, blijven graag!
Bona Farm wont be given the farming bloc. This was a Banda and sons initiative to steal land from Zambia.
For your information, the RB and family even flew in the hungarians private jet to see the farming bloc way before government asked for tenders.
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