AGRIC SHOW ORGANISERS MAKE BIG PROMISE

By Jessica Mwansa

THIS year’s 95^th edition of the Agriculture and Commercial Show is expected to attract over 1, 300 exhibitors and we are confident of giving attendees a highly successful trade show, the Agriculture and Commercial Cooperative Society of Zambia (ACSZ) has said.

In an interview with The Scoop, Society president Duncan Mfula preparations for this year’s event had advanced and that the projected number of attendants included both indoor and outdoor exhibitors.

Mr. Mfula said the figures showed a steady growth with an increase of 11 percent of pre-pandemic participation of exhibitors at the show.

He said the society had also extended exhibition to the Polo B fields for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and informal sector players who accounted for 55 percent participation mostly in outdoor spaces.

“We have extended the exhibition to the Polo B fields for SMEs and informal sector players who account for 55 percent participation mostly in outdoor spaces. Corporates have taken up space in most of the small buildings along with the Government ministries and agencies. The addition of the Polo B and new hall floor space have added an excess of 50, 000m2. To meet the required demand for exhibition space, the society has added two new halls. This will offer our exhibitors a comfortable and flexible display area.

“This year’s show will be hosted under the theme “Inclusive Economic Transformation” which literally means an economic transformation that is distributed fairly across society and creates opportunities for all. This theme resonates well with a number of the Government policies and strategies aimed at promoting economic transformation. It is also coming at a time when the nation successfully clinched a debt restructuring deal with bilateral debtors, under the G20 common framework on debt treatment,” Mr. Mfula said.

He said the theme was not only devised to guide this year’s show exhibitors, but also selected to act as a game changer in terms of mind-set change among the business community and Zambian society in general.  

“The show will have Government institutions, corporates, SMEs, local trade associations, foreign trade associations, international organizations, manufacturing, chambers of commerce, and investment promotion agencies, with the most dominant sectors being agriculture, financial institutions, NGOs, civil societies, commercial, mining, energy, construction, infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, automobile and motor industry, transport and logistics, health, education, cosmetic and clothing among others including buyers and sellers,” he said.

He invited exhibitors and their business associates as well as the general public to visit the demonstration plots which will showcase the fresh-look of various crops adding that the livestock area will have a variety of animals such as goats, sheep, pigs, exotic birds, and fish.

“The young farmers pavilion and provincial farmers’ pavilions will be exciting areas which will showcase the national productivity, efficiency, and individual productivity as well as value addition,” he said.