Italian Ambassador to Zambia Fillippo Scammacca Del Murgo says that Italy has a lot to offer Zambia as the country moves to lessen its economic dependence on copper.
Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Eastern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Patrick Mwanawasa, Dr. Del Murgo says that he had been visiting different Italian families who have settled near the border to Malawi who were investing in different economic activities.
He says some of the Italian investors who are in the province are growing macadamia nuts on an eight hundred hectare land that will be exported and will help in lessening the country’s dependence on copper.
The Italian ambassador says that his office has in the recent past been holding a lot of meetings with Italian investors who want to invest in the country’s agriculture industry.
He says Italy does not have a lot of natural resource and therefore, has had to depend on agriculture.
The ambassador says the Italians are willing to share the knowledge they have about agriculture with the people of Eastern province and Zambia as a whole.
And speaking during the same occasion, Deputy Permanent Secretary Patrick Mwanawasa says that Eastern Province is an agriculture oriented province and any investment in the sector is welcome.
He says that the province recently started growing wheat, which will need value addition.
Mr. Mwanawasa explained that since Italy produces a lot of wheat products, the province would be a perfect place for Italian investors to come to.