AMBASSADOR STRESSES POLICY IMPERATIVES IN GHFS

UNCLAS LUSAKA 000765

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT ANN RYAN
DEPT ALSO FOR IO MARISA PLOWDEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EAID ETRD ZA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR STRESSES POLICY IMPERATIVES IN GHFS
INITIATIVE TO AG MINISTER

REF: STATE 107298


1. (U) Ambassador Booth met with Minister of Agriculture and
Cooperatives Brian Chituwo on October 26 to deliver reftel
points and to elicit his views on how the United States and
Zambia can work together towards food security and the
elimination of hunger. Chituwo told Ambassador that the
agricultural sector and food security are political and
economic priorities for the GRZ, and that the government
expected to sign its compact under the African Union's
Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme
(CAADP) on November 12. (Note: The signing has been delayed
until November 30. End Note)


2. (U) The Ambassador stressed the need for the GRZ to have a
robust policy commitment to the agricultural sector. He
added that while CAADP compacts required countries to spend
at least 10 percent of their annual budgets on agriculture,
the United States would look at not just what governments
spend, but how governments spend money in the agricultural
sector when deciding where to direct potential assistance
under the Global Hunger and Food Security (GHFS) initiative.
Specifically, the Ambassador urged Minister Chituwo to work
to decrease GRZ spending on input subsidies and maize
purchases, and to allow the private sector to develop markets
for agricultural inputs and harvested crops. Chituwo agreed
with the Ambassador that GRZ should reassess the efficacy of
programs to provide fertilizer and other inputs to farmers at
government expense, but claimed that the GRZ still had an
active role to play.


3. (U) Minister Chituwo said he hoped to attend the World
Food Security Summit in Rome, but said that the 2010 budget
process may require him to be in Lusaka at that time.
BOOTH