Zambia: Continue Positive Influence, Farmers Urged

Source from:  The Times of Zambia (Ndola) 11 October 2008 10/15/2008

ACTING President Rupiah Banda has implored farmers in the country to continue with their positive influence on the Government's agricultural policy. Mr Banda said this yesterday in a speech read for him by Agriculture and Co-operatives Minister Ben Kapita when he officiated at the opening of the 103rd Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) annual congress. He said that the Government appreciated the ZNFU's role in effectively organising stakeholders in the agricultural sector and for its influence on policies for the betterment of the country. Mr Banda said through outgoing president Guy Robinson and chief executive Songowayo Zyambo, ZNFU was a strategic lobbyist that effectively persuaded the Government to effect policies that were good for agriculture and the nation as it never hesitated to advise. He said to honour late president Mwanawasa, there was need to follow his ideals and principles that he stood for because his desire was to leave behind a legacy of self-sufficiency in food production. Mr Banda said the Government was waiting for a report from the task force on rising input and food prices whose aim was to come up with an action plan to address the issue. He said although the trend was a global issue, there was need to act urgently because agricultural commodity prices were threatening Zambia's potential to achieve its intended sector goals. "As part of the strategies to address the issue of rising input prices, the Government has this year increased the fertiliser subsidy to 75 per cent while the number of beneficiaries has increased to 200,000 peasant farmers," he said. He commended farmers for increasing wheat production from 30,000 to 190,000 tonnes, saying the development had enabled the country to save foreign currency because there had not been any imports. Mr Banda said that when domestic supplies were assured, the Government remove the limit on the export of maize, wheat or any other grain and that the State would continue with sustainable macro-economic stability to cushion farmers from the sharp Kwacha appreciation. He added that the ministry of Local Government was looking at the grain levies charged by councils while the ministry of Lands was studying the issue of land rates which in some cases had gone up by 500 per cent. He also commended ZNFU and Zesco for partnering to ensure that power was guaranteed for irrigation despite the current power deficit in the country. The Government was also working on eradicating or minimising the incidences of livestock diseases so that animals could easily move for breeding purposes and be sold to different areas. He urged the ZNFU to encourage its members and other citizens to participate in the October 30 presidential elections. And Mr Robinson commended the Government for increasing the fertiliser subsidy and reducing the fuel price but appealed for further reduction by removing value added tax. He said the instability of the exchange rate had not helped export crops such as cotton, coffee, and tobacco, adding that the exchange rate should be kept within reasonable limits. He said that although there had been increased wheat production, the marketing season was being threatened with imports which must be stopped to save the sector. Mr Robinson said whoever would become the next president should ensure that president Mwanawasa's Irrigation Development Fund was operationalised. The new ZNFU president is Jervis Zimba, Nick Dean and Alfred Boama are directors while Joseph Munakombe and Ajay Vashee are trustees. Enditem