press releases

Minister Sikatana And Ambassador Martinez Help Launch Zambian Canning Firm

Lusaka
February 16, 2006

U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Carmen Martinez looks at canned foods during the launch of Freshpikt, Zambia’s only fruit and vegetable canning facility. Agriculture Minister Mundia Sikatana also takes a look as Freshpikt Board Chairman Chance Kabaghe looks on.

Minister of Agriculture, Honorable Mundia Sikatana, MP, on Thursday, February 16th joined U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Carmen Martinez in the official launch of Freshpikt, Zambia’s only fruit and vegetable canning facility. Freshpikt began processing tomatoes in December, and recently added beans and pineapples. Within the next few months they will add sweet corn, onions and mangos.

Following a tour of the facility, Mr. Sikatana observed that the Freshpikt facility was previously a state-owned firm that closed several years ago and was left abandoned. The revitalization of the plant represents one of the many tangible benefits of economic policy liberalization that the government of Zambia has led over the last four years.

Ambassador Martinez noted that companies such as Freshpikt provide a model for the future of Zambia’s economy. By taking a primary product, such as tomatoes, and creating canned tomatoes and tomato paste, Freshpikt is “adding value” to the sector. Jobs are created, more income flows to Zambians, and step by step the economy grows.

Freshpikt will soon be purchasing up to 80 metric tons of tomatoes per day and 800 metric tons of beans per year as inputs to their operations,. This represents an enormous new market for Zambian horticultural producers, and much of the supply to Freshpikt will eventually come from the smallholder sector.

Freshpikt Board Chairman Chance Kabaghe thanked the United States government for the support in establishing the company in Lusaka. Through two USAID projects, namely Production, Finance and Technology (PROFIT) which focuses on raising productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers in Zambia and the Market Access, Trade and Enabling Policy Project (MATEP) which promotes agricultural and natural resource-based exports from Zambia, the United States provided financing and export advice, and helped link Zambian small-scale farmers to the processing plant.

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PROFIT and MATEP are two projects funded by USAID that promote economic growth in Zambia. The PROFIT and MATEP projects work closely with one another, reinforcing their respective activities to offer a continuous range of services from production to export sale.