Fisheries and Livestock Minister Michael Katambo has set up a taskforce to actualize the agreement with the Saudi Arabian government for Zambia to start exporting one million goats to that country every year.

Katambo said the new committee which will be chaired by Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr Roland Msiska will look into modalities of how the exports will be done.

According to a statement issued by First Secretary for Press and Public Relations at the Zambian Embassy in Ethiopia, Inutu Mwanza, Katambo said this at Bole International Airport when he transited from the Checz Republic where he attended a bread basket exhibition with his Agriculture counterpart, Dora Siliya.

“A team from Saudi Arabia will be in the country soon to finalize the agreement and the Zambian government has already identified several farms that are rearing goats. We have sufficient goats to meet the local demand and for export. The team from Saudi Arabia will also look into the exportation of live goats if that is the way to go, they have to look also into the slaughtered goats, the issue of the freezing facilities , quarantine facilities and issues of disease,” said Katambo.

“I am confident that Zambia will manage to export a million goats per year as requested by the Saudi Government. The Bread Basket Exhibition was successful in that Zambia and the Czech Republic signed a Memorandum of Understanding –MOU- that will see technical assistance in the livestock and fisheries sector.”

And Katambo said government’s target was to be a net exporter of beef in the coming year.