Company ProfileSaro Agro Industrial Limited



Saro Agro Industrial Limited (Saro Agro) was established in 1987 and is the leading supplier and manufacturer of agricultural and industrial equipment in Zambia. The company provides large and small clients with machines for applications in areas such as agriculture, irrigation and power generation. These include, for example, tractors, trailers, feed mixers, solar pumps, planters and sprayers. Saro Agro also provides aftersales support and maintenance services to its customers.

Saro Agro operates a manufacturing and assembly workshop at its HQ in Lusaka. Locallymanufactured or locallyassembled products represent 40% of turnover. To date, Saro Agro has reached an estimated 13,000 smallholder farmers through its 6 regional depots, including sales, product support and outreach. The company has a team of sales and technical agents as well as mobile field service teams that provide onfarm maintenance and repair services and training. Saro Agro also conducts field days and trainings to demonstrate its equipment, sometimes in collaboration with partners such as Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Project Description

With support from ENTERPRISE Zambia Challenge Fund, Saro seeks to;

  • Scale up the initiative to reach an additional 10,800 smallholder farmers within the project period. 1,500 of these will be lead agricultural service providers, who will purchase equipment through AgLeaseCo and will then be supported to provide mechanisation services to 9,300 peer farmers (average 8 each) for a fee. Smallholder farmers will also receive training in conservation farming practices, particularly where they relate to Saro Agro’s products.
  • Expand Saro Agro’s market reach and to increase mechanization and reduce vulnerability to climate change amongst smallholder farmers.
  • Target farmers in regions where there are off takers with outgrower schemes and where there are good opportunities for smallholder farmers to commercialise.

Marketing, impact on people and the environment;

Saro Agro is confident of its customers’ commitment to make the transition to a green economy in their agricultural production and processing activities. Around 30% of Saro Agro’s customers are large/commercial farms and the remaining 70% are smallholder and mediumscale farmers. Around 10% of annual turnover is derived from NGOs and government orders. Saro Agro has a broad and diverse customer base and does not rely heavily on any one customer.

Saro Agro estimates that it has reached around 13,000 smallholder farmers to date through sales from its regional depots and outreach activities such as field demonstrations. Saro Agro has worked closely with CFU to develop accessible farming equipment to support the mechanisation and implementation of climate smart agriculture and to train farmers in how to use this equipment.

Saro Agro has taken steps at both firm and farm levels to improve its environmental impact. The company’s focus on developing and selling accessible equipment that can support the implementation of climatesmart practices is significant. Saro Agro has worked with the Conservation Farming Unit on this and is committed to supporting CSA through innovation, including making products accessible to women


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IN BRIEF

Sector

Mechanisation

Target Smallholders

10,800

Target Jobs

326