.NGULEKA

By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA –

THE Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) is backing President Edgar Lungu’s vision to transform the country’s agriculture sector through various interventions aimed at reducing production costs.
The ZNFU is optimistic President Lungu will address issues of Value Added Tax (VAT) on agriculture products, reduce bank interest rates and energy costs that had been a source of concern to farmers.
ZNFU president Evelyn Nguleka was hopeful that the Government would provide tolerable space for casual labour in agriculture and improve feeder roads leading into farming areas so that agriculture products could compete favourably in regional markets.
Dr Nguleka said it was important for the new Government to focus on ensuring that free trade under the regional trade protocols was only embraced if it did not undermine local prod uction so that local jobs were safeguarded.
“Trade protocols have many times worked against our favour when cheap subsidised imports land into our country creating unfair competition against local products,” she said.
Dr Nguleka said the re-positioning of Zambia as a bread-basket for the region would need Government’s special attention and action.
“This is because whereas maize production and production of other crops has been increasing steadily, the challenge remains on the fact that the cost of production has remained high making our agriculture
products expensive and this has been frustrating the prospects of increasing exports into region,” she said.
Zambia being a signatory to regional trade protocols such as those under the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the high cost of production prevented the country from assuming the bread- basket status.
She said the Government should also put priority on concluding bilateral trade agreements with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola so that Zambia could have access to export markets into the strategic countries competitively.
She explained that these countries currently import food from as far as Brazil, Argentina and other countries in the far-east, although ideally Zambia should be their first choice to source imports.
The ZNFU pledged strategic partnership with the Government to expand the performance of the agriculture sector so that it benefits the country fully.