LOCAL FARMER MEETS SUCCESS THROUGH ZAMBEEF PARTNERSHIP

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               LOCAL FARMER MEETS SUCCESS THROUGH ZAMBEEF PARTNERSHIP    

AFTER    years of struggle as a small-scale cattle farmer, Kelvin Puuka has hit the    big time thanks to the support of the nation’s biggest agribusiness and    food retailer Zambeef Products Plc.
   
“Without Zambeef, I wouldn’t    be where I am today,” said Mr Puuka.

These few    words speak volumes on the life-changing impact the country’s largest    vertically integrated food retailing brand has had on the local livestock    farmer and others like him since its incorporation in 1994.

Mr Puuka    registered as a cattle supplier for Zambeef in 2014 and now, eight years    on, is reaping the rewards borne from that one bold step - a move he says    is one of the best decisions of his life.

It is the    nature of life that one must overcome many hurdles when climbing the ladder    of prosperity, and Mr Puuka went on to explain that before venturing into    business with Zambeef, the Namwala farmer faced challenges that left him    believing there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
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“When I    started this business, I continuously made losses due to the many expenses    I accrued; I invested more money than I was getting out of it,” he    recalled.

“However,    when Zambeef came on board, my life has never been the same. I have amassed    a reasonable amount of wealth and now I am currently one of the most    successful cattle suppliers in my area.”    

Mr. Puuka    currently supplies Zambeef between 1,000 to 1,500 head of cattle per month    at what he called a ‘remarkably fair price’.  

He    attributed his success to the company’s commitment to empowering local    suppliers with the tools and necessary skills to rear their animals as    efficiently as possible.  

“Zambeef    provides transportation to and from my farm. This has greatly benefited my    business because previously I used to cater for my own transport to ferry    the cattle, and spent about K8,000 per truck regardless of the number of    animals I was transporting.

But now, I    don’t have to worry about any of that,” he noted.

He added    that in comparison to other companies he had supplied to in the past,    Zambeef took the front seat in providing a more conducive environment to do    business.

Mr Puuka    noted that the company placed value on its local suppliers through many    promotions, demonstrating how it cares for the overall growth and success    of the livestock industry as well as the communities in which it operates.

“In 2019,    Zambeef ran a promotion where a supplier who managed to sell the company    600 cattle within a month would get a bonus in a bid to encourage increased    productivity

I was one    of those who met the target, and true to their word I was given a generous    incentive over and above the fee for the cattle,” the gleeful farmer    narrated.
   

Thanks to    his business, Mr. Puuka has been able to support his family, take his three    children to school, and acquired multiple assets which include a large farm    with a kraal, two cars and a house.  

He hopes    that Zambeef continues to work with the various farmers and stakeholders in    the livestock sector to ensure that there is continuity of growth such that    the resulting positive outcomes and developments will benefit local farmers    and the nation at large.

Zambeef is    the largest processor of beef in Zambia with five beef abattoirs and the    capacity to slaughter 230,000 herds of cattle a year, plus five feedlots located    across the country with a standing capacity of 14,000 herds.

As part of    its effort to contribute to the economy and support local businesses, the    company operates an all-inclusive and all-embracing business model through    which it sources the bulk of its raw materials from local farmers, majority    of whom are located

in the    rural communities across the country.

Zambeef    believes that creating robust linkages to rural-based suppliers helps fight    poverty in some of the more economically excluded communities, meeting the    aspirations of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 1, “Ending poverty in    all its forms everywhere.”