The government has said it has frozen all agricultural exhibitions across the country in line with its measures to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The virus has been spreading like wild fire and has since been declared a pandemic. Following the declaration by the World Health Organisation, the government put in place measures that limit the gathering of large numbers of people.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture, Michael Katambo have announced that all agricultural shows and field days like the 2020 Agro-tech Expo have been put on hold.
For years, agricultural and commercial shows have proven to be helpful for industry and commerce, as they do not only provide a platform for exhibiting products but they are a marketplace of ideas.
They have provided an opportunity for farmers and business people to share ideas on best practices in farming as well as trade.
It is also an opportune time for farmers to network and find markets for their product.
Agricultural shows have since become greatest trade platforms more than crop like maize, other grains, and livestock, such as pigs, goats, cattle, chickens, rabbits.
Meanwhile, in 2019 government at one time opted to cancel the shows citing poor agricultural yields.
The Ministry of Agriculture had forecasted a 2.5 million metric tonne maize harvest from the year’s harvest. That indicated a drop of over a million from the previous harvest.
In that scope, the government’s reason for the cancellation was that most areas in the country had been hit by serious droughts and therefore there was nothing much to display.
However, business and agricultural experts criticised the then proposed cancellations, saying that agricultural shows were more than crops and livestock.