Gov’t to Establish First Rice Processing Plant in Sikongo
The Government of Zambia has announced plans to establish the first-ever rice processing plant in Sikongo District, Western Province, under a bold initiative to boost value addition and agricultural productivity in rural areas.
Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Elias Mubanga, made the announcement during a tour of 4,000 hectares of rice farms in Sikongo and Kalabo, which are part of the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) Rice Empowerment Programme.
“Clearly, there is a lot of market for this rice both locally and in neighbouring Angola,” said Minister Mubanga. “If we can help our farmers with more equipment like these harvesters and a rice processing plant, then that will translate to value addition.”
The Ministry, through CEEC, has also distributed modern farming equipment, including harvesters, to over 1,463 farmers in the region as part of the 2024/2025 CEEC Rice Empowerment Programme.
CEEC Director General, Dr. Charles Mungule, expressed optimism after inspecting the fields. “I am very impressed with what I have seen. The farmers have taken this project very seriously, and I cannot wait to see the massive harvest. In addition to tractors already given, we will add more harvesting machinery,” he said.
The rice processing plant is expected to support small-scale farmers by scaling up production capacity, improving post-harvest handling, and creating opportunities to supply both domestic and regional markets, particularly Southern Africa.
