Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has urged a leading Qatari meat processing and distribution firm, to explore investment in Zambia’s livestock value chain and support towards the recently initiated US$1 billion annual beef export initiative.
Permanent Secretary, Dr. Max Choombe, made the call during an engagement with Widam Food Company on the sidelines of the ongoing 13th Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (Agriteq 2026) in Doha.
Dr. Choombe and his Agriculture counterpart, Yvonne Mpundu, are scheduled to hold several high-level meetings on the sidelines of the Expo.
The Zambian delegation is focusing on strengthening bilateral relations and attracting strategic investment into the country’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock sectors.
Meanwhile, Widam Food Company, Representatives, Dr. Dafallah Abdelghani, Chadi Eldeheybi and Mossa Ahmad, acknowledged Zambia’s strategy to guarantee and export disease free and halal certified beef.
Both parties agreed on the next steps including technical agreement, and starting cooperation with processed beef products, pending resolution of supply chain logistics, while pursuing follow-ups through diplomatic channels.
According to a statement issued by Ministry’s Principal Public Relations Officer, Benny Munyama, the 2026 Qatar Agriteq Expo is a great opportunity for Zambia to engage in Government-to-Business (G2B) and Business-to-Business (B2B) discussions aimed at fostering public private partnerships, technology transfer and market access.
Other planned engagements include meetings with Hassad Food to explore investment partnerships and export opportunities; the Qatar Fund for Development to discuss potential financing for climate-smart agriculture and resilient food systems; and the Ministry of Municipality’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to examine prospects for a formal framework of cooperation in agriculture and food security.
