Thursday, March 28, 2024

Shoprite Accused of Shunning Local Onion Producers

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The Zambia National Farmers’Union has accused Shoprite of shunning Local onion producers after the giant super market reported that there was a countrywide shortage of onions on the local market.

In a statement released to the media, ZNUF described the reports by Shoprite as misleading and said that the organisation will not sit back and watch entities bent on proliferating imports arm-twist
Government into succumbing to notions that the country is experiencing commodity shortages.

Below is the full statement

SHOPRITE SHUNNING LOCAL ONION PRODUCERS

The report attributed to Shoprite of alleged countrywide shortages of onions on the local market is not only most unfortunate but totally misleading.

The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) wishes to put it on record, again, that the country is awash with onions from both small scale and some large-scale farmers, some of which has gone to waste in storage facilities due to continued importation of the commodity even at the time when Government has ordered a stop to onion importation. Shoprite is simply ignoring local producers.

We are saddened to report that data shows that onion imports peaked in the period January to March 2022, hence disadvantaging local producers who have painstakingly put in a lot of effort and strides, including making staggering investments in driers, which allows for onions to be harvested during late winter then dried, stored, and made available during the lean period which starts in January every year.

We are alive to the fact that the halting of imports of onions has not been received well by some sector players in the value chain who have all along with favoured imports at the expense of appreciating the strides the local farmers have made to stop the over-reliance on imports.

We are afraid to note that the continued importation of commodities that we have a comparative advantage of is tantamount to economic sabotage and is weighing down all the good intentions being put in place by Government and farmers to ensure we have improved capacities.

The ZNFU shall not sit back and watch entities bent on proliferating imports arm-twist
Government into succumbing to notions that the country is experiencing commodity shortages.

We rise to applaud the Government for regulating imports of onions because this is the trajectory that will make various sub-sectors of the agriculture sector become net producers of commodities that we can produce locally. Zambia has plenty onions.

For Zambia National Farmers’ Union
Kakoma Kaleyi
PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

13 COMMENTS

  1. Zambia National Farmers’ Union
    Kakoma Kaleyi
    PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

    Well done for not sleeping on the job………

    Like the management of ZAFICO re ZESCO poles……….

    Extend the local pressure to other crops…….

    There should be no import of any crops into zambia………..

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  2. What the ZNFU is NOT telling is that the local onions are more than THREE times as expensive! So out of the name of all Zambian consumers (and there are a lot more consumers than farmers) NO THANK YOU, let’s go back to importing onions!

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  3. Its high time we erased the memory that make us think that anything foreign is the best and anything locally produced is fake. We seriously need to tune our mindsets around.

  4. YOU WANT GRADE 2 OR 3 IN VEGGIES GO TO THE MARKET
    SHOPRITE HAVE A STICK STANDARD ALSO DONT BUY FROM SMALL VENDORS
    ARE THESE VENDORS GOING TO WAIT 30 PLUS DAYS FOR PAYMENT AND ARE THEY GOING ACCEPT BELOW GRADE RETURNS

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  5. We need to hear both sides of the story. Why is shoprite failing to buy local produce. Is it price, quality or have they got running contracts with some south african suppliers which they can’t get out of. Let’s hear everyone’s side so that we can see how the local suppliers and chain stores can work together.

  6. Happy to sell to Zambians, but not willing to buy from them! How disgraceful! Compel them to buy local – unless, of course, the produce is not available in Zambia. That’s the way it should roll!

    #plant a tree please

  7. its the quality and packaging of local produce
    Shoprite can easily run a public experiment to demonstrate.
    In the end, you will be castigating Zambians for being unpatriotic because they want value for money.

  8. Like someone has already said. Let ShopRite come out and tell their side of the story. Lest we forget, both sides are in business not for charity but to make profit.

  9. Give us figures ba kapala. This is just political grandstanding. Mwakangiwa. It could even be that your logistics are a shambles to take that onion ku Shoprite. A mambala.

  10. Ba Shoprite what is wrong ? Should it be difficult to give your required quality standards on onion to Zambian farmers for adherence surely?

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