The ZAMAGRO project aims to increase agricultural productivity in Zambia, which remains well below its potential. One of the reasons is precisely insufficient mechanization and low utilization of modern technologies. These areas open up space for cooperation with foreign suppliers.

The composition of the ten-member Zambian delegation reflected this focus, consisting of representatives from commercial farms, agricultural machinery distributors, and state institutions, including the Food Reserve Agency (the counterpart to the Czech State Material Reserves) and the Ministry of Agriculture of Zambia.

The program focused primarily on visiting Czech manufacturers and presentation of their technologies. Distributors themselves confirmed that there is potential for a wide range of products in the Zambian market. "Modern technologies are needed very much in Zambia, and there is room in the market for high-quality European products," said Nanddas Vasant, owner of Growmore. The range of companies visited demonstrated the diversity of Czech production—at SMS CZ, BEDNAR FMT, and Farmet, the delegation was introduced to soil tillage and seeding machinery. Strojírny Rožmitál presented forage harvesting and processing equipment, and during a visit to ZDT, participants learned about trailers and fertilizer spreaders.

Directly at Czech farms, the Zambians were able to learn about technologies from Farmtec, Eurobagging, and Cernin. The modernization of food reserves and storage technologies is also a major topic, which representatives of the Food Reserve Agency discussed directly with the company Pawlica. Part of the delegation also visited the operations of VVS Verměřovice, a company that already has a branch in Zambia and sells feed mixtures in the country.

The delegation confirmed that connecting Czech development cooperation with export support and commercial activities of companies makes sense and works. The ZAMAGRO project helps respond to the needs of local agriculture, increase productivity, and at the same time create opportunities for Czech companies to establish new business contacts. Proof of this is the first commercial order, which arose in direct connection with the incoming mission.

For this reason, Zambian agricultural machinery distributors SARO and Growmore were a key component of the delegation. Cooperation with local partners is a necessity for distant markets, including Zambia, due to technical support, spare parts storage, and machine servicing. The availability of servicing and technical support is among the key factors in Zambia when making purchasing decisions for agricultural equipment.

The incoming mission was co-financed under the PROPED program by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Lusaka, the Association of Agricultural and Forestry Machinery (AZET), and the CzechAid ZAMAGRO project of Caritas Czech Republic.

Markéta Dyrhonová, intern, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Lusaka