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The 2023/24 agricultural season saw a devastating drought that reduced crop yields to unimaginable levels, requiring a rethink of crop production.
Desperate times require urgent measures to survive critical moments and create a resilient economic environment.
There is an urgent need to switch to drought-resistant crops as farmers have been neglecting these crops as they have low market value.
Zambian farmers are known to grow any crop imaginable and in some cases you will find a single farmer growing multiple crops, but the main crops have always been maize, soybeans and to some extent cassava.
During the rainy season, people tend to discard drought-resistant crops such as sorghum, cassava and yams because these crops can help the country avoid imports during food shortages.
In this paper, I will explore how policy interventions and cultural shifts can help realize the potential of yams.
Although it appears to be a newly introduced crop and its cultivation levels appear to be below commercial requirements, the crop is gaining traction.
Although it has the potential to be a substitute for staples such as corn and cassava, like cassava, it has a huge range of industrial and food products.
Yam can be made into a variety of products, including yam powder, yam strips, yam paste, yam slices, dietary supplements, etc.
On the other hand, perennial yams are used by the pharmaceutical industry as a source of steroid compounds.
Most countries around the world are also re-evaluating cultivated edible species as potential sources of starch for cosmetics and biofuels.
Like cassava, copper ore can be used to make starch, which can be used for a variety of purposes including mineral processing, which is expected to trigger an industrial revolution as the country hopes to increase copper production to 3 million tons by 2031.
In the North West Province, for example, the crop is becoming a permanent feature as it can be seen along the roadsides.
Residents are using the yams to produce yam flour, which provides an effective alternative to maize and cassava in the area.
The Copperbelt region also saw an overflow trend as yams were gradually introduced, partly because diabetics and hypoglycemics were encouraged to eat yams due to their medicinal value.
In the Copperbelt region, the Chabut Yam Growers Cooperative (CYTGC) has played a major role in commercialising yams, even setting up a factory to produce a range of products.
The cooperative connected with many farmers in Mpongwe and other parts of the Copperbelt Province to provide raw materials for yam farming and started producing a traditional drink called Munkoyo, yam powder and yam coffee, among others.
As far as I know, this cooperative has also attracted the attention of the government and other partners.
Last year, the cooperative received K1 million in funding from the World Bank to build a processing plant at the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry’s Agribusiness Division.
The cooperative also recently received K40,000 from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which has been invested in seed multiplication to expand production in the yam fields.
A Munkonyo production facility from India is also on its way to China, which will help expand production of the local beverage, which has a wide market.
Part of the funds will be used to set up a yam processing plant and expand a seed breeding farm.
This has helped the cooperative to set up a yam and tuber processing plant, increasing the value of the yams we grow, while we hope to increase the number of yam growers from the current 400 to about 600 across the country.
The establishment of the government is a good thing, the cooperative has already started trial production of Munkoyo (drinks), which are now available in local stores, and full commercialization is coming soon with the introduction of equipment.
There is no doubt that the commercialization of yams will improve the country’s nutritional capabilities, create jobs while making a significant contribution to the economy as a whole.
From what I understand, the demand for yam products such as yam powder and yam hot drinks is getting positive feedback, hence the need to expand the production of this crop and its products.
Increasing the cultivation of crops such as yams would have the dual effect of enhancing food security while also promoting industrial development.
Growing corn alternative crops will help save a portion of corn for industrial use, thereby freeing up some corn crops for consumption.
The 2023/2024 drought has taught all of us a hard lesson that we should intensify efforts to promote drought-tolerant crops like yams.
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