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Business Reporter
EXHIBITORS have taken up more than 80 percent of the available exhibition space at the Zimbabwe Food Conference and Expo which is set for next week.

ZFCE chief executive officer Mr Alois Burutsa said more than 300 delegates have also registered for the premier food sector conference.

The conference is set for next Wednesday at the Harare International Conference Centre.

It is expected to draw delegates from the food industry sector, Government, development partners and members of the public.

“We have registered more than 300 delegates for the conference and as for the expo about 80 percent of the internal exhibition space has been taken up,” said Mr Burutsa.

Stakeholders who attended the food conference and expo launch recommended the invitation of neighbouring milling associations and other food sector members, among many other recommendations.

“In response to recommendations by stakeholders at the ZFCE breakfast launch last week, we have invited the Zambian Grain Traders Association so that we can share notes. They have confirmed their attendance, so we are excited,” said Mr Burutsa.

The conference and expo will interrogate agricultural productivity and financing. Value addition and beneficiation, a key pillar in the country’s economic blueprint, Zim-Asset, is expected to raise debate at the conference.

The July conference is divided into three thematic issues: the economic status of food manufacturing; social and policy issues and science of food.

At its peak, Zimbabwe produced nearly three million metric tonnes of maize in the mid-80s to early 90s but currently production is below one million metric tonnes.

Some of the goals of the ZFCE include to better understand the status, prospects and challenges in the area of national and household food and nutrition security.

To harness existing scientific knowledge to better inform economic and socio-political policy dimensions; to lay a foundation for fostering dialogue around solutions that will strengthen strategies in the Zim-Asset Food and Nutrition Cluster and to outline issues to inform post-workshop dialogue with all stakeholders (communities, Government, NGOs, donors).

Statistics say one in eight people in the world today – 868 million- are undernourished and approximately two billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.