KAYPRO Research Institute, a local Agro based company has called on the government to be cautious over the importation of onions to ensure that it does not negatively compromise the market for the local produce.
KAYPRO Research Institute Director Frank Kayula said the country is able to produce enough onions to meet the local demand and that importation of cheaper onions may affect the market price of the commodity, which may not be favourable to the local farmers as the cost of production has been high.
Dr Kayula noted with concern the need for the ministry of Agriculture and food security to do a grass root assessment with farmer organizations and the farmers themselves on how much onion is being produced and the local demand of the commodity.
“It is not fair for the farmers to produce the onions and yet there is so much which is imported into the country from South Africa,” he said.
He said the government through the ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has Extension Officers who look at the availability of the food and it is high time that they are put to good use before the country starts importing the commodity.
“We have plenty of onions which are produced by the farmers in the country to meet the local demand,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kayula has attributed the rise of the commodity to high demand and low supply of the commodity.
He highlighted the rapid depression of the kwacha as one of the reasons for an increase in the price of the onions on the market.
KAYPRO Research Institute Director said government should instead start regulating the sale of the commodity by the farmers so that they do not exploit the consumers.
However, a local trader at City Market Beatrice Muwowo has noted a reduction in the price of the commodity.
“We are happy that we are now buying onions at a cheaper price than it was when the importation of the commodity was banned,” she said.
Plenty of onions? Nothing on the market, nothing in the supermarket. This guy is just making it up!
EXACTLY !
This Dr is contradicting himself.
On one hand he says ;
“It is not fair for the farmers to produce the onions and yet there is so much which is imported into the country from South Africa,” he said.
Then he says;
Meanwhile, Dr. Kayula has attributed the rise of the commodity to high demand and low supply of the commodity.
Manje you have low supply what do you do, it’s to import in the short term kaili
First of all it’s very embarrassing that Zambia, and all countries in the SADC region have allowed themselves to be dependent on South Africa for grocery and agro products because of the craze to buy from chain stores. What’s fascinating about Shoprite & Pick n Pay? Some feel less human if they don’t walk into Shoprite to buy something. I’ve seen people in places like Mufulira walk from Kamuchanga to town and back just to buy a loaf of bread and proudly swing the yellow carrier bag! Did we import onion under KK? NO! Shoprite’s preference is to buy from a farmer in SA. Our farmers have difficulties to sell their produce at a fair price. At Soweto market in Kaponya and cadres that dictate the prices. We’ve failed on almost every front, perhaps we should ask the British to come back
A real government has come in, the politics of onions will be things of the past, just allow them to settle and they have to be allowed to settle to put things in place, don’t be like Diamond TV who think whatever was promised during the campaigns will come to fruition, ever heard of short, medium and long term goals, somethings were said at the heat of the moment, some will be revisited, so if UPND does not sell the Presidential jet, I wont loose sleep over it, but I will loose sleep if we continue importing onions
Why do Zambian producers always price themselves out the market with exorbitant get rich overnight prices ????
Is it the cost of production ? Or just a mental get rich overnight thing ?
You can bet your bottom dollar that every farmer in the country will start growing onions now, and that there will be a glut of the commodity in three months – and all farmers will complain about the low prices!
Zambia should be able to produce onions to
Meet its demand.No need to import.But the
Problem is our product is more expensive
Then imported.
The 5 basic meal ingredients in zambia are tomatoes, onions , cooking oil , salt and maize meal……
Get into the production of any of those basic and you can’t go wrong…..
Just a few months ago govt had banned the importation of Onion and we saw the disaster that happened. Such that those boys who sale michopo started charging Onion as extra’s. Problem our local farmers struggle to meet demand.
Many Zambian producers raise the prices depending on who is buying; you pay more if you drive. You can avoid this by shopping from inside the market but African markets are not nice places to shop from. I have seen this in places like Accra, Monrovia, Dar Es Salaam, Nairobi, Lilongwe, Tunis, Dakar etc. Apart from the unhygienic conditions, you have to bargain for everything. Onions, lemons etc are always in short supply locally.
S.A. is the only country I have not seen many daily markets except in Indian areas. But Shoprite is a low cost shop in townships and rural areas; there are no Shoprite stores in suburbs.
Where I live in Zambia there are no bakeries; that is why people go to Shprite, Spar, Choppies for bread. The bakeries which used to supply schools with fresh from the…
This guy is just an interested party who wants maximum profit for his onions which used to cost K30 a pocket because of competition from SA but when there was a ban then local producers raised the price to K200 a pocket. Let there be free market economy so that consumers are not exploited.