President Edgar Lungu will this Saturday open 2018 Agriculture and Commercial Show organisers ACSZ, have announced.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka, Wednesday, ACSZ president Caroline Silwamba said the Head of State would officially open the annual showpiece event at the showgrounds on Saturday.

She also disclosed that the Society had registered 1,123 exhibitors this year compared to the 950 registered last year.

“The magnitude of this event acts as a good catalyst for stimulating economic growth and strengthening mutual cooperation between countries. For this reason, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the President of the Republic of Zambia and patron of the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Zambia, for accepting to officially open the show on Saturday 4th August. Our preliminary statistics for this year’s show, show that there is a positive response in the number of exhibitors who have confirmed participation. Whilst the numbers are still increasing, we have recorded a total of 1,123 exhibitors categorised as follows: (a) 1,000 local exhibitors and (b) 123 international exhibitors coming from over 20 foreign countries,” Silwamba told journalists.

She said the show has also invested about K31 million to upgrade the presidential pavilion within the showgrounds.

“We have invested about K31 million and the seating capacity will be 2,000. The exhibitors last year we had about 950 and this year we are close to 1,000 local; 123 international exhibitors. Last year, we had 105 international exhibitors. And if you have been following the history of the Show Society, every Zambian president, when they are elected, they always become the first guest of honour for the Show Society, but His Excellency, President Edgar Lungu, was always humble enough to invite outside presidents to come and grace our show as Guest of Honour. So, this time around as president of the Show Society, I think I feel very humbled and happy that this time around, our President is going to be the Guest of Honour. We have brought around the whole economy, the agricultural economy [and] the commercial economy into the showgrounds. So, let’s show our President what we are capable of doing as a country,” she said.

And Silwamba said the Show Society has developed a master plan to construct modern infrastructure around the showgrounds.

“I would like to inform the nation that the Society has continued focusing on developing the showgrounds. The master plan has already been developed and this plan will see the construction of modern infrastructure around the showgrounds. Furthermore, the plan will see also the construction of a modern exhibition centre for commercial and agricultural exhibits. I would like to assure you that the Society will endeavour to maintain the green areas within the city as they modernise the showgrounds, for the benefit of all,” said Silwamba

The 2018 92nd Agricultural and Commercial Show will be held from August 1-6 under the theme “Sustainable Economic Empowerment.”