FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WITH PICTURES
JUNE 2, 2022

LOCAL FARMER MEETS SUCCESS THROUGH ZAMBEEF PARTNERSHIP

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – 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 the 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.

“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 head of cattle a year, plus five feedlots located across the country with a standing capacity of 14,000 head.

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.”

-Ends-

About Zambeef Products Plc
Zambeef Products PLC (“Zambeef”) is the largest integrated cold chain food products and agribusiness company in Zambia and one of the largest in the Southern Africa region. Zambeef is quoted on both the Lusaka Securities Exchange and the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
It is involved in the primary production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, eggs, dairy, fish, flour, stockfeed and day-old chicks throughout Zambia and the surrounding region. It operates 236 retail outlets in Zambia, Nigeria and Ghana.
Zambeef also has one of the largest row cropping operations in Zambia, growing maize, soybeans and wheat. Zambeef plants nearly 23,000 hectares annually, with most of the resulting crops being used in the Zambeef animal feed and flour milling businesses.
Zambeef employs 7,082 people.
More information is available at www.zambeefplc.com

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Gillian Langmead at Langmead & Baker Ltd
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