Keegy Limited introduces mechanised services in rural communities
Keegy Limited recently launched two Mechanisation Service Centers in Mpongwe and Lufwanyama districts on 26th and 27th May 2015, respectively, to provide smallholders with the opportunity to access mechanised services using the company’s wide range of agricultural machinery.
Keegy Limited Managing Director, Chongo Kasongole, explained that with the support of Musika, the company was motivated to provide mechanised services from land preparation, planting, pest and herbicide application, post-harvest services and transportation to lower the cost of production, and reduce the dependency on manual labour.
“These equipment hiring centers will allow farmers to access reliable services at an affordable price with free extension services that will help to improve their yields,” he said.
Kasongole informed the farmers that they could afford to purchase agricultural machinery from Keegy with the support of other stakeholders including Musika, Conservation Farming Unit, Zambia National Farmers Union and the banks,
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Honourable Maxas Bweupe Ng’onga, observed that the establishment of the Centers will provide practical solutions to numerous challenges faced by smallholder farmers across the country.
“The centers will allow small scale farmers to efficiently carry out various farming operations like early land preparation and planting, especially with the drastic changes in climatic conditions that have affected our rainfall pattern. This intervention will help many farmers to graduate out of poverty,” he said.
The mechanisation service center intervention, supported by Musika, aims to increase access to mechanised services coupled with extension support to enhance the productivity of smallholder farmers. Other services include provision of technical advice and after-sales service support to farmers that purchase agricultural equipment.
Musika assisted Keegy, a Zambian agricultural machinery and equipment supply company, in reducing the business risks involved in exploring, testing and developing the business model by sharing costs associated with the deployment of appropriate agricultural machinery, and a well-equipped and trained extension staff.