President Edgar Lungu says the current agricultural marketing challenges as a result of surplus grain and depressed maize prices on the local market could cause farmers and other value chain players producing themselves out of the market if left unchecked.
Speaking when he graced the 112th Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) annual congress in Lusaka, President Lungu said that the theme for this year’s annual congress “Sustaining Agriculture in Shrinking Markets” is therefore appropriate.
The President said that government remains focused on making farming the mainstay of the economy for enhanced household food security, poverty reduction, and increased income generation for the citizens.
President Lungu said that government was working hard to address the current crop marketing challenges to avoid slowing down the momentum of the economic diversification agenda.
The President noted that agriculture development and food security will only be sustainable if food production is diversified, made more market-oriented and profitable to all players in the value chain.
President Lungu added that farmers will only see sense in the agricultural diversification agenda once production of crops, livestock and fisheries become profitable.
He further stated that he’s convinced that functioning and competitive agricultural markets are critical to achieving government’s planned economic diversification agenda.
The President assured the nation that Government remains focused on making farming the mainstay of the country’s economy for enhanced household food security, poverty reduction, and increased income generation for every citizen.
President Edgar Lungu has assured the nation that Government remains focused on making farming the mainstay of the country’s economy for enhanced household food security, poverty reduction, and increased income generation for every citizen.
The head of state said that agriculture development and food security will only be sustainable if food production is diversified, made more market-oriented and profitable to all players in the value chains.
And President Lungu said that Government has already put in place measures such as reducing prices of stock feed ingredients to promote livestock and fisheries production and to enable other value-chain players diversify more into maize and soya beans value addition.
I’m also discouraged. I’m burdened with 100 bags which I can’t sell because of low price. I’m not prepared for the season.
After last season, who’d like another fight with those army worms – for peanuts!
Ndanje Khakis team up with some other discouraged farmers hoarding maize and export for a good price. The GRZ is encouraging you to sell to the highest bidder including outside the country. I think I read somewhere about the Grain Export something like that working with some group from East Africa to facilitate export of farm produce like maize, soya, beans etc
The great Leader of the great nation gave a speech and never honored his promise he gave to the farmers. He told them he was going to raise the selling price. The incoherence and inconsistence that IMF has observed at BOZ is actually a mainstay in GRZ.
Do we have a “double” ? We are getting contradictory policy statements! One says no need to invest in energy,South Africa has surplus , the other says we should invest in energy and have surplus to sell to other countries.One says he will not interfere with the price of maize and the other one says the low price of maize will negatively affect farmers!
He has no power but indirectly appealing on our behalf. Can’t instruct because that would amount to interfering with the markets
I still remember someone challenging all those not happy with the floor price of maize to go to court. People should have good memories
Our president did not hearken to the cries of farmers who puts food on our tables when they were crying for his intervention after the announcing of crop price reduction.so he must find ways to motivate them.
i thought the president said its a good price before,
now …changing his stance. its really confusing the masses
with dora
Crooked leadership who re they fooling when last year he intervened on the maize pricing. Forget about bumper harvest FRA is another rubbish organisation full of thieves.instead of paying farmers as soon as money is released by MOF they wait till it accumulates interest in banks,thereby disadvantaging farmers.what a shame.
The problem with this government is inconsistency in policy making how can the head of state today say that the price of maize locally can discourage farmers today when he said the price is good does it mean that minister of agriculture and her ministries TECHNOCRATS were not on the ground to find from the real farmer’s how to come up with a good price and advise the president on this very important issue.