Zambia: Lundazi DC Urges Govt to Set Up Area Tobacco Auction Floors

Source from:  The Post (Lusaka) Mcdonald Chipenzi 09/23/2004

LUNDAZI district commissioner Chrispin Mtonga has called on the government to establish auction floors for tobacco in the area. In an interview, Mtonga said lack of tobacco auction floors had made farmers susceptible to brief case businessmen and women. Mtonga said auction floors would even attract international buyers to buy the commodity at competitive prices. He said the district this year expected to produce higher yields of tobacco and that more investors were needed to increase it even further. "Government should establish tobacco auction floors to enable farmers of the commodity to sell their tobacco at competitive prices," he said. And Mtonga said Dunavant Cotton had disappointed the people in the district as they had promised to build a ginnery but had not done so. "Dunavant is just monopolising the market in Lundazi. We gave the company land to construct a ginnery but it has failed," he complained. "There was another company that wanted to invest in the district by the name of Plauxes International, but it was blocked by Dunavant." He said Plauxes International should have come back since Dunavant had failed to put up a ginnery. On the Zambia Malawi encroachment, Mtonga said a liaison committee was formed between the two countries to look into the issue and people have been told not to encroach anymore until the border was clearly demarcated. He said so far, 220 km has been demarcated. Mtonga also said 300 boreholes would be drilled in the district by JBG company contracted by the government. He said the boreholes would assist the people during drought years. And Mtonga said Lundazi district council through ZAMSIF was constructing a new bus station, but would not disclose how much money would be spent on the project. He also complained about the lack of transport at his office. Mtonga appealed to government to provide him with transport to enable him to move and inspect projects in the area. He commended civil servants in the district for bearing with the government and promoting dialogue whenever they were aggrieved. Enditem