Friday, March 29, 2024

Recapitalise NCZ-UPND Prods Govt

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United Party for National Development (UPND) has called upon Government to immediately re-capitalise Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia in order to mitigate the local fertiliser prices.

UPND Chairperson for Information and Publicity Charles Kakoma said re-capitalizing NCZ is inevitable following the increase in world prices of fertiliser by more than 300 per cent as announced in the international media recently.

This is contained in a media statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

Mr. Kakoma noted that NCZ is a strategic institution for the development of the country’s agriculture sector.

He said although the Government has no control on the world prices of raw materials for the manufacture of fertiliser, there is need for it to quickly find a solution to the rising fertiliser prices as most peasant farmers cannot afford to buy the commodity at the newly announced prices.

Mr. Kakoma said the UPND is concerned with the manner in which the ruling MMD government is addressing the agriculture sector at the time the world is faced with the challenge of increased food prices.

He said President Levy Mwanawasa’s government should make decisive steps to ensure that Zambian farmers have affordable inputs that would help them keep food prices low.

Mr. Kakoma has also urged Government to quickly resolve and take into consideration the plight of NCZ workers and retirees believed not to have been paid their dues.

He said Government should always ensure that institutions such as NCZ are recapitalized in order for farmers to benefit from relatively cheaper fertiliser and to ensure that its workers in Kafue District have employment to enable them support their families.

ZANIS/ENDS/CM/CLM

30 COMMENTS

  1. I keep wondering why our govt have not bothered to manage or is it finance NCZ properly because Zambia is largely an agricultural country.How will it then survive without it.LPM did a good thing to reopen it after kafupi closed it down but he should do more to make it self-sustaining.

  2. This NCZ project is not viable in it’s current format, just exist to pay living wages to relatives of Politicians. UPND are mouthy about it because it is in their constituency. Just privatize this thing to Zambians or float it on LuSE and let the shareholders put in competent management who can make this company competitive and lean. In it’s current format this is like throwing money in a rat hole. Good luck if the Govt does. I would rather they give loans to new entrepreneurs to start a new fertilizer company to sort out the fertilizer shortage than throw money at this venture with a well documented history of wasting the so called bail out money.

  3. MMD wins Milanzi seat
    The ruling MMD has won the Milanzi parliamentary seat with an overwhelming majority

    MMD candidate Reuben Banda polled 5,065 votes beating his closest rival Ahmed Randela of UNIP who got 2,387 votes.

    UPND’s Chimwala Phiri came third with 2,303 votes.

    PF candidate Peter Phiri was fourth with 688 votes, while Francis Phiri of FDD got 278 votes

  4. #3, a point of correction Bradford Machila (MMD) who is now lands minister is the MP for Kafue, so I think UPND are making a genuine plea and see it for what it is instead of trying to politicise this very straightforward issue. Fertiliser in april was US$500 a tonne, the current price is US$1,500 a tonne. I thought it was enough for Government to deal with ever increasing oil prices, and now they want to leave agriculture to the international prices as well, I think that is very bad economic management, next year the price of fertiliser might be US$3,000 and you guys need over 150,000 tons of fertiliser a year which works out to over US$450,000,000. What id this compared to ZMK 170 bn…

  5. With all the vote buying by way of hand outs MMD was expected to win Milanzi.Now about NCZ,its indeed strategic but from the look of things the MMD govt doesn’t seem to think if you look at the altitude over it in the last 17 years.If you look at that plant,it looks deserted, one would think we’re coming from a civil war.I’m sure if KK was to see it in its current form the man would cry!!
    Infrastructure development & recapitalization has been neglected
    even by these new dealers govt. The economic gains the sing about everyday would have been more if only the implemented.

  6. cont’d 5
    (US$53 million) that NCZ requires for it to be self sustaining and renovate the plant and machinery. Why can’t Government syndicate a loan and act as guarantors and have this money made available to NCZ? There is no way a company can give you a budget for ZMK58 billion and then you cut it to ZMK8 billion. You cannot punish a management which was recently appointed on account of the previous administration having embezzled, if they embezzled there are procudures that need to be followed to bring them to book, let the majority shareholder do so, for me that is lack of supervision by the GRZ, how come money is being misused under the noses, where is the office of the auditor general..

  7. cont 7…
    who is supposed to be supervising parastatals on behalf of Ministry of Finance, where is Minsitry of Agriculture? For what did they release the money, for me and this is my opinion, I am better offf spending half an amount to subsidise a company to produce a commodity at 25% of the world price than spend these humage amounts of money on imported fertiliser whose price I cannot control.

  8. #3. Chanda Phiri

    I absolutely fully agree with you. It is not viable to keep this company a govt body. What govt should do is throw the shares on the LUSE so shareholders and members of the board can put the proper management.

    Also give loans to Zambian entrepreneurs ad also allow foreign investors in this sector so the company can compete properly. If it is a monopoly, it’ll produce low quality expensive fertilizer and hire the worst management. But if it has competition, then it’ll produce the best fertilizer at low prices and put in the best management.

    Also, govt can put in infrastructure (EG. RAILROAD) so that the fertilizer can be exported to other farming countries like Malawi.

  9. #5. Mwiinga (Lusaka, Zambia)

    Its a shame govt is not really thinking ahead. The price of Oil is estimated to reach about $150 to $200 a barrel in about two years.

    Only about 30% (approx.) of Zambia’s farmland is being farmed and we are producing enough food for the country and export.

    What govt should do is pick 1 province and make that 1 province specialize in growing bio-fuels and also put a bio-fuel refinery (if there is one) in the provincial capital of that province.

    Zambia would have solved its fuel crisis in the sense that instead of using Crude, they are using Bio-fuels.

    Just my thoughts anywayz.

  10. #5 thanks for the correction. I still had Bob Sichinga of UPND in mind as area MP. I guess I was stuck in the past. But I clearly remember NCZ getting bail out money and Bob Sichinga was on TV to sing about it. Am sure this is probably the second or third bail out call. I also think management of this NCZ was in the media for mismanagement and am sure some case are still in court. My question is what has changed this time around to warrant a second bail out? I don’t think rising costs of fertilizer justifies that. In fact it should attract more and better players to the industry. Let this dog just die. This is no time for dead cat bounce nonsense

  11. zimbabweans have become afraid of anything.Ink on the thumb dear brothers is ment to prevent multiple voting not what these caward zimbabweans are making us believe.

  12. #11, Sara Saifwanda who is the current co-minister at agriculture has said they have approved the 58 billion budget, which for me is good news. I still think we need to protect ourselves against international pressure for fertiliser, a solution has to be found. For me I think NCZ is a quicker option, I really do not mind who it belongs to, private or semi-private or even MBO, what was partly the problem with NCZ was that there was no market for the fertliser they used to produce because the agriculture sector was non functional and Chiluba did not recapitalise it, they almost gave it away to Sasol and fortunately Mwanawasa rescued it. Okey fine if we cannot produce D-compound due to lack…

  13. contd… 14:
    …of raw materials then we can produce Calciuma Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) next door there will be a steel plant which I think will utilise the sulphuric acid which is a by-product of fertiliser production or compel the mines to buy the Sulphuric Acid instead of importing it like they are doing now. So I think guys there is still hope, I might sound anti-thetical but I think NCZ has what it takes, let Government invest and then sell it at a good price. Let us continue the debate, I like the way it is going. Pankoloko uli kwisa?

  14. #15. Mwiinga (Lusaka, Zambia)

    They shouldn’t sell it.

    They should throw majority if not all of the shares on the LUSE.

  15. #15. Mwiinga (Lusaka, Zambia)

    In the case of steel. My guess is it can be used for this…

    TGP to erect hotel, shopping mall
    By NKWETO MFULA

    A LOCAL investor TPG Properties Limited intends to develop a world-class mixed-use development project on the Kitwe-Chingola road at a cost of US$160 million.

    The company is today expected to hold an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping meeting for construction of a new mixed-use complex on Sub A of Sub 5531 of Farm 840.

  16. According to a letter of invitation to the Mail to attend the Environmental Impact Assessment scoping meeting, the project to include a 200-bed hotel and a 42,000 square meter shopping centre, linked to a conference centre is 4 kilometre from
    Kitwe.

    It would also include 2,000 square metre casino, 9,000 square metre commercial office park and service station with one stop restaurant facilities.

    TGP properties director, Phesto Musonda said the shopping centre would provide over 200 parking bays and consist of two anchor tenants, a 6-screen cinema complex and a mix of retail stores including hardware.

  17. He said allthe above mentioned facilities will have expansion potential if required.

    He said the hotel conference centre would be operated by an international hotel chain and have state-of-the-art facilities while an office park component would consist of individual multi storey buildings set in a landscaped environment.

    Mr Musonda said the projected construction period is 24 months, scheduled for completion in late 2010.

  18. He said under the category of Urban Development, the project falls under the second Schedules of the Environmental Impact Assessment regulation, Statutory Instrument number 28 of 1997of the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act of 1990.

    “It is therefore a requirement that an Environmental Impact Assessment study is carried out for the project,” he said.

    He said in conformance with guidelines set down by Environmental Council of Zambia and as part of the EIA process, TGP properties is holding an EIA scoping meeting today, June 26.

    Ends.

    ———————–

    Source: DailyMail Zambia

  19. In a society like Zambia where 80% of the population is poor privatizing every institution is a blander. Learn from the Russians that have held on to their key resources to resuscitate their impoverished population. Giving everything to the capitalist is suicidal especially in a country where the population has no capability to play to the rules of capitalizm. Privatising every public institution in the name of poor management by government is irresponsible. Bridging the gap between the poor and the rich is vital otherwise we risk creating a problem where the poor become poorer and having a society without the middle class. The obvious result of this is crime and all other related vices.

  20. # 21, i totally agree with you and the stance by UPND. We are not supposed to privatise everything, especially strategic industries. GRZ should investe in this particular industry by puting in a lot of money. # 3 Chanda, you seem to have a natural hatred for UPND by brother

  21. Most of our privitisation was done either in bad faith or through ignorance.We didnt need to privitise companioes that were performing well.we privitised UBZ where is it now,Zambia airways where is it now.Even Ethiopia can run its own airline for God’s sake.Even the developed worldretains some strategic companies which they are actively involved in running.Its not WHOLESALE NO.

  22. #23 i even used Zimbabwean airline when going to china. All these problems are associated with Ka chiluba and sata – all thieves.

  23. Way forward, Its better for the Government to reasses the performance of all entities that were privatized for as song and respossess those that are performing below par in the interest of Zambians.

  24. 24 i agree with you even Zimbabwe have some something to be proud of, how about zambians?It is really bad and dehumanising.Some companies are non existent.I think a badly run company is better than no company at all.For the inerests of zambians there should have been shared equity on these companies.Accidents like the one in Kacholola would have been avoided.The blood of all those who died should be on those that privitised.When i think of all these things it simply annoys me so let me go

  25. The simple solution to our problems is push in Analysts like Natural Scientists and Engineers in the forefront of running things in strategic GRZ positions. The national will then start going forward.

    People we need finished products and not mere talk from a socio-economic stand-point of views.

    The NCZ is/was a powerful national resource which the MMD has failed to utilise to bring meaningful development the NATION at large. Let us appreciate the role THINKERS play in the world of business and managing companies.

  26. Off topic people.
    Please help. What has happened to live radio streams on Coppernet? What has one got to do listen live now?

  27. wow very beautiful but it will be better if you could make these movies available with out Nw connection ,i will be happy if you send me on my dresses. thanks

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