Zambian Breweries together with three partners are spearheading the cultivation of sorghum in Southern Province to support government efforts aimed at crop diversification.
This is line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals Number 17: Partnership for the Goals.
The brewing company is working with Zamseed, Zanaco Bank, and Silverlands Ranching to facilitate the growing and harvesting process, with this season’s buying launched this month.
The move is in line with Zambian Breweries’ 2025 Sustainability goal on smart agriculture as a key ingredient in the manufacture its clear beers.
“Farmers in the province can now grow sorghum as an alternative to maize. The main challenge they face is lack of a market, but we are excited that our relationship with our partners will provide a real opportunity for a broader market of the brown cereal grain crop,” said Zambian Breweries Agriculture Manager Chris Nicolle.
ZB has engaged Zamseed to provide improved sorghum seed varieties to farmers; Zanaco to offer farmers financial services before and during the sorghum harvesting season through its AgriPay account; and Silverlands Ranching to create a database of sorghum farmers in the province and store the crop on behalf of the brewing company.
Mr Nicolle noted that farmers in Southern Province received Zambian Breweries’ initiative of growing sorghum with enthusiasm.
“There is a lot of excitement to grow sorghum among farmers. They really appreciate that the crop is better suited for their environment,” he said.
Mr Nicolle explained that the country’s largest brewing company would help train farmers in sorghum cultivation and empower them financially by buying their produce.
“Through this initiative, our farmers in the province will become skilled in growing sorghum as well as financial empowerment. We hope to connect with them on different levels. We believe that, at the end of the day, when we buy the crop from them, we will be contributing towards improving their livelihood,” he emphasised.
Mr Nicolle said this year marked the first that Zambian Breweries was buying sorghum in the country’s maize belt.
“In 2019, the harvest was affected by the drought that hit Southern Province. Although the crop was successfully grown, our farmers and their families needed it for home consumption due to failure of their chief crop – maize,” he explained.
The ZB agriculture manager disclosed that the 2020 sorghum buying season in the province would open once farmers finished threshing the crop and opening bank accounts with Zanaco.
