THE first indigenous breakfast cereal dubbed "It's wild," has been launched in the country.

The Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) has launched the home grown cereal grown by small-scale farmers in the Luangwa valley.

Speaking during the launch in Lusaka yesterday deputy Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Richard Taima hailed COMACO for the move.

He said the government would soon commence the implementation of the rural industrialisation strategy and such innovation would help.

Mr Taima said it was common knowledge that one of Zambia's major challenges in creating sustainable wealth and jobs for the people, especially those in rural areas, was low level of capacity to add value to the country's natural resources.

He said what was truly amazing about the breakfast cereal was that COMACO chose to manufacture it near the farmers the organisation works with in Serenje away from the commercial centre in Lusaka.

This, Mr Taima said, was in line with government's efforts to promote rural industrialisation which would not only facilitate the creation of wealth and jobs for Zambian people, but also help curb rural urban migration.

He directed the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) to engage COMACO to explore possibilities of signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which would lead to a fruitful partnership in the implementation of the rural industrialisation strategy.

Mr Taima who welcomed COMACO's model which takes the farm surplus for manufacturing into IT'S WILD products expressed hope that it would be expanded to other towns throughout the country.

For too long, we have seen only cereals made in other countries, mostly South Africa, and Zimbabwe flood the market but not from Zambia, but that COMACO has identified and decide to fill that gap.

At the same occasion COMACO chief executive officer Dale Lewis urged consumers to be part of the history making for Zambia, and help the company achieve its mission of promoting good health in the country.

Dr Lewis said his organisation ploughs the proceeds back into the farming communities to offer economic incentives to be better farmers so that families could be food and financially secure.

In return, Dr Lewis said his organisation requests farmers to abandon such practices as poaching and charcoal burning.