Economy-Zambia - Northern Coffee Corporation (NCC) will engage more than 10,000 local people during the peak season, Northern Province Permanent Secretary Mwalimu Simfukwe has said. Mr Simfukwe said the company which had been resuscitated was one of the biggest economic boost not only in the province but the country at large. He said the company had three estates namely, Kateshi in Kasama, Ngoli in Mungwi and Isanya in Mbala districts covering in excess of 1,460 hectares. "The company will create jobs for local people in the factory, production and transportation sections for onward exportation,"Mr Simfukwe said. He said the coffee company would not just be growing coffee but that, it would also be processing the crop for export and local sales.

The company would be producing 2,000 tonnes of coffee per annum. "The records indicate that the Coffee Company will be producing 50 per- cent of coffee and we expect that this will bring in more revenue in the country,"Mr Simfukwe said.

The firm, formerly known as Kasama Coffee Company, was placed under receivership in September, 2008. Mr Simfukwe said reviving the Coffee company was like reopening a closed mine for the provincial administration.

"This is a milestone for us as the provincial administration because we know that mining will not always be there but the agriculture sector will always remain," he said. Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) invested US$4 million to revive the firm which was launched by President Rupiah Banda on March 3 this year.

The NCC which produced one-third of Zambia's 6,000 tonnes of coffee at peak in 2004, would be managed by an independent management team and will initially employ 100 people. ZDA has invested US$1.2 million in the coffee plantation and the additional US$2.8 million would be provided as a loan.

The project would offer opportunities for the small scale out grower farmers who will be engaged to improve production. ZDA would be working with Standard Chartered Bank and Zanaco that have turned their debt into equity.

Zambia's 2010 coffee output declined to 1,250 tonnes from 1,643 tonnes the previous year, due to farm closures caused by lack of affordable long-term finance.

Times of Zambia/18/03/2011