LUSAKA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has pledged to work with authorities in Zambia to boost agricultural production among smallholder farmers, state-run media reported on Monday.
World Bank Vice-President for the African Region Makhtar Diop said the bank was ready to work with the government in ensuring that smallholder farmers moved to large scale farming through increased production.
In remarks delivered after he toured a World Bank supported project promoting conservation farming in eastern Zambia's Chipata district, the official said there was need to create linkages for economic development and provide more resources for farmers in order to boost their income levels, according to state broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.
The bank, he said, expects its assistance, combined with government's efforts, to translate into improvement in people's living standards.
The bank has provided 1.3 million United States dollars to the Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) Limited, a project promoting conservation farming which was benefiting about 167,000 smallholder farmers in the province.
Minister of Finance Felix Mutati thanked the World Bank for making a decision to tour some of the projects it was funding in the country.
The visit, he said, has given the World Bank official concrete direction on how its partnership with the government was transforming lives through agriculture.
The World Bank official arrived in Zambia last week for an official visit to hold discussions with stakeholders on development priorities.
He further announced that 600 million dollars was available for Zambia to access under its International Development Assistance for the next three years.
