President Edgar Lungu is this September expected to officially flag off the export of goats to Saudi Arabia.

The African’s second copper producing country is expected to export over 1 million goats to Saudi Arabia starting next month.

This follows the completion of an import needs assessment that was carried out by the Saudi Arabian Government.

The assessment also indicates that the Saudi Government is not only interested in goats and sheep but beef too.

Government has so far opened bulking centres in all the ten provincial centres.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Kampamba Mulenga says this provides an opportunity for the farmers to get money for their hard earned labour.

’’ I am happy to say that although it has taken too long, the benefits will be immense especially for the small scale farmers,” she has said.

She says the bulking centres have been opened to help with mobility of the goats that will be delivered.

The Minister says so far Zambia has a population of about 9 million goats, making it easy to go into the export business with Saudi Arabia.

Ms Mulenga says government will ensure that small scale farmers are protected from exploitation as they enter into this business.

The Minister was speaking in Addis Ababa yesterday when she transited to Brussels to attend a Conference on a goat plague called Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR).

PPR is a viral disease of goats and sheep characterized by fever, sores in the mouth, diarrheal, pneumonia and sometimes death.

She says although Zambia does it not this disease, it is putting mechanisms to quarantine the borders to prevent the disease from spreading to Zambia.

The Minister says government will lobby for funds from the EU to strengthen border surveillance and prevent the disease that is in the neighboring countries from spreading to Zambia.

She was received at bole International Airport by Zambia Ambassador to Ethiopia, Susan Sikaneta.

This is contained in a statement issued to the media by Zambia Embassy in Ethiopia First Secretary Press and Tourism Inutu Mwanza.