Yummy Soy – COMACO’s Newest Product is More Than Just a Healthy Meal

With over 42 years of residence at the Kanyanga Mission, the Catholic Father’s comment about the change in agricultural practices in the surrounding farming areas raised concerns for COMACO. “We have lost crop diversity here. It is almost all cotton. Cassava, groundnuts and soybeans were all once common, but not now.” That was 2003. Studies by Wildlife Conservation Society had shown tree canopy across the plateau landscape of the Luangwa Valley landscape in Lundazi District had declined by 18% over the past decade, due in part to the expanding cotton fields. This change correlated with a growing frequency of down-river floods with tragic losses of farm production. There was no quick fix, but COMACO saw an opportunity through its market-based approach to start reversing these trends.

In 2004, COMACO introduced a self-pollinating variety of soybean, called Soprano, to 1500 farmers living on the plateau and doubled that number the following year. The agreement COMACO made with these farmers was that COMACO would offer better prices if they would remain committed to crop rotation and conservation farming. This proved an enormous challenge for COMACO because of the high cost of transporting soybeans to Lusaka where commercial millers offered unfavorable prices. As was done for rice, COMACO considered value-adding processing and packaging of soybean-based products, but the technology of processing was expensive and required a sophisticated machine called an extruder to denature an enzyme that prevented digestion of the protein-rich bean. Technical support from Cornell University food science specialist, Dr. Carmen Moraru, provided COMACO guidelines on how to proceed and financial support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Wildlife Conservation Society facilitated the purchase of the required machinery.

Finally, in September 2006, the newly fabricated extruder from South Africa arrived in Lundazi, but there were still more hurdles to overcome, including power connections with a new transformer, staff training and staff recruitment. These delayed the processing of soybeans until March 2007. Under the capable supervision of James Phiri, the COMACO Business Manager, and Tedson Nkhata, COMACO Food Processing Production Manager, the first product rolled out, requiring 5 different processing machines. The product is known as HEPS, or High Energy Protein Supplement, used by hospitals, schools and special NGO programs to feed malnourished people or patients with declining heath in need of a fortified food product. The product is high in protein, fiber, calories, vitamins and minerals. When the first samples were ready for tasting, COMACO staff were quick to volunteer. We knew we had a winner when the response was so overwhelming, and Eastern Province Zambia had it first soybean processing plant.

“Why have it available only to the sick and malnourished if it is so delicious and healthy?” asked so many. “Can it not be another It’s Wild! product sold to the general public?”

COMACO has answered that question with its latest new product, called Yummy Soy. Today the Lundazi plant, under the management of John Nyirenda, who manages the Lundazi Trading Centre, runs two shifts and works against the clock to fill a 300 metric tons order for World Food Program and multiple hospitals in Eastern Province. But, in addition, it fills orders to put the same healthy product on store shelves throughout the Country as Yummy Soy for all Zambians to enjoy. Yummy Soy is just what the name implies and Zambians are discovering a low cost health food, served as a cold cereal, a hot porridge, or a tasty creamy drink. Because the processing precooks the product, while also preserving its full nutrient value, meal preparations are instant and require less energy and time.

COMACO sells the product to rural consumers in a cheaper one kilogram package that provides about 10 full glass servings. One glass of the Yummy Soy is a full meal and costs only about K300 ($.08), a great way to feed hungry kids or someone who needs to have a quick but satisfying lunch. For urban markets, Yummy Soy sells at a higher price as a 1.5 kilogram beautifully packaged product and brings real value to the consumer for one of Zambia’s first health food products. More importantly, COMACO now has fulfilled its promise to bring an increased purchase value to growing soybeans for farmers on the Luangwa Valley plateau. Since it began buying soybeans in 2005, COMACO has increased the price for its registered farmers who comply with crop rotation and conservation farming by about 80%.

The COMACO battles to bring positive change to land and natural resources will take more than a year or two. It will take time to transform farming practices and develop the skills necessary to protect soils and trees on the scale of the entire Luangwa Valley ecosystem, but the successful introduction of Yummy Soy from the farmers who now have an incentive to adopt conservation farming is an important battle won that was well worth the struggle. Further, COMACO plans to process a total of 1,100 metric tons of HEPS and Yummy Soy in the coming year, and soybean farmers are assured of a bigger market for their crop. What a reward from COMACO for its efforts in conservation farming!