By CHATULA KANGALI
THE Zambia National Farmers Union is preparing a document for the restriction of the importation of some agricultural products into the country.
ZNFU president Jervis Zimba said in an in interview that the document would be submitted to Government before the end of this month.
Mr Zimba said the document would save as a guideline on the restriction of the importation of locally produced products.
He said some of the products whose importation should be restricted include cooking oil and vegetables that are locally grown like tomatoes.
Mr Zimba said the continued importation of cooking oil in the country had negatively affected the growth of the soya beans sub sector.
“We want the agriculture sector in Zambia to thrive and we want our farmers to have easy access to the local market.
“We are preparing a document that will be presented to both the Ministry of Agricultural and Commerce on the restriction of importation of some agricultural products in the country,” he said.
Mr Zimba said since Government would not totally ban the importation of some agricultural products, there was need to impose restriction to safeguard the local industry.
Early this year, the Government lifted the ban on the importation of vegetables two days after imposing it saying it was against the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) protocols.
However, the move was not welcomed by farmers and other stakeholders.
