Kafue Sugar Company has commenced sugar production with a view to help cushion the impact of sugar shortage that hit the country recently.

Kafue Sugar company Managing Director, Iqba Aloo, disclosed to ZANIS in Kafue that the company is since expected to increase production to over 40, 000 metric tonnes from 28, 000 metric tonnes following the receipt of new machinery.

Mr Aloo advised members of the public not to panic as the company is working round the clock to to ensure sufficient supply of the commodity on the market and help normalise the price of Sugar.

Mr Aloo assured that Kafue sugar would be offloaded on the local market next week to supplement the efforts being made by other sugar producing companies .

He said the company would produce 250 tonnes of sugar per day in a bid to help bridge the gap created by the shortage of commodity on the market.

Mr Aloo said Kafue Sugar company sympathizes with members of the public on the unprecedented delays in the production of sugar which he attributed to heavy rains experienced in the last farming season.

He explained that heavy rains left sugar plantation water logged hence making it difficult for the harvest as machinery could not operate in such environment.

And Mr Aloo said disclosed that Kafue Sugar company would spent an estimated US$8 million on the expansion programme of the plant.

He said the expansion programme, once fully implemented would enhance the competitiveness of Kafue Sugar on the market.

Meanwhile, Mr Aloo has cautioned government against rushing to allow the importation of sugar because the measure to negatively impact on the performance of the local industry.

Mr Aloo said locally produced sugar could not withstand the competition of heavily subsidized imported sugar.

Mr Aloo has advised governemnt not to bow down to pressure coming from some traders whose only interest is to make abnormal profits.

He said even the rocketing sugar prices should not be blamed on the companies but on the traders who are hoarding the commodity in a bid to create a further artificial shortage for them to exploit consumers.

Heads of State worldwide have resolved to increase investment in agriculture, to address obstacles to food access and to use the planets resources sustainably for present and future generations.

The high level three-day conference which ended on Thursday resolved to use all means possible to alleviate the suffering caused by the current crisis to stimulate food production.

The conference was held in Rome, Italy and attended by 50 Heads of State, including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf.

A draft Declaration of the Food World Security challenges for climate change and bioenergy was also adopted.

Further the summit looked on how programmes for wheat, maize, soya and milk and livestock production could be intensified.

The outcomes include an action plan that outlines the immediate actions as well as the medium to long-term plan and a further commitment to the elimination of hunger and to secure food for all today and tomorrow.

The summit also discussed the roles of biofuels, trade practices and impact of global warming on food prices, which are threatening hunger, poverty and conflict worldwide.

It also discussed how countries can devise sustainable solutions to the food crisis by identifying the policies, strategies and programmes required to safeguard world food security in the immediate, short and longer term.

According to the UN food output had to rise 50 percent by 2030 to meet the ballooning demand.

With food prices at a 30-year high, the UN warns that the governments need to respond immediately and advises that they must also put the long-term focus on improving food security.

Prices have doubled in three years, according to the World Bank, sparking riots in Egypt and Haiti and in many African nations. Brazil, Vietnam, India and Egypt have all imposed food export restrictions.

The latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) report has revealed that the living conditions of people in Northwestern Province has remained poor over the years with poverty levels standing at 76 per cent.

The report says out of the 76 percent, 61 percent were extremely poor while 15 percent were moderately poor.

However, the CSO report indicates that the coming of Kansanshi, Lumwana and other small mines dotted all over North western Province has created close to 7 600 jobs in the formal sector mainly in mining and other sectors serving the mining industry.

Apart from Government, It notes that Kansanshi and Lumwana mines account for over 95 percent of employees in the private sector in the province.

The report further acknowledged that although the province was rich in natural resources such as minerals and good soils, a lot had to be done.

“The road net work in the province is generally poor as a result, economic development is being slowed down at the moment copper has to be transported by road from all the mines in the province to markets or processing plants outside the province’.” The report observes.

It added that North western Province had no industries to support the mining sector as such most of the consumables in the mines were imported from other provinces or outside the country.

The economic boom in the province, Solwezi in particular, the report noted, has seen an increase in the population of motor vehicles resulting into unnecessary congestion. This is because of the few roads and the number of road accidents reported to Police has also increased.

The report has suggested that there was urgent need to build other bridges across Solwezi and Kifubwa rivers because the whole province could be cut off from the rest of the country should there be a serious accident on the two existing bridges.

Despite, the economic development in the province, the report also observed that there were challenges of productivity and economic growth that needed to be addressed.

[ZANIS]

The Parliamentary Committee on Delegated Legislation says the establishment of the Lusaka Multi Facility Economic Zone in Lusaka South will bring development and create employment opportunities for most youths in the area.

The Committee has also commended Government for degazetting the Lusaka South Forest Reserve Number F26 earmarked for the establishment on the Multi Facility Economic Zone.

Parliamentary Committee on Delegated Legislation Chairperson Chishimba Kambili made the remarks and warned that Parliamentarians will not protect Squatters would encroach on the land saying people should start inculcating a culture of respecting existing laws that govern the acquisition of land in the country.

He said the Committee decided to undertake the Field visit to ensure that the proposed area is not occupied by people and whose development will not disadvantage the locals.

Forestry Department Senior Extension Officer jackson Mukosha assured the Committee that no one will be displaced as a result of the development.

Mr. Mukosha said that part of the Reserve was degazzetted between 1954 and 1956 for purposes of mining, refuse disposal, smallholdings, Lilayi aerodrome and for security reasons.

He said once developed, the area would also see the construction of a Lusaka Park in a bid to retain the forest status adding that the Central Business District of the town would also be decongested.

Zambia says it will maintain its membership in both the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market For Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Commerce Permanent Secretary Davidson Chilipamushi disclosed this saying Zambia trades more with SADC but has also an interest in COMESA which has its headquarters in Zambia.

The Permanent Secretary however called for the harmonisation and rationalisation of the protocol of Regional Economic Communities (REC’s).

He noted that COMESA was set to come up with its Customs Union this year while SADC was first establishing the Free Trade Area and that the whole regional intergration package includes the completion of negotiations for the Customs Union in 2010, the Common Market by 2015, and the establishment of a monetary Union by 2016 and the regional central bank with a common currency by 2018.

At the same function during the 14th meeting of the Government Committee of Experts for Southern African briefing in Lusaka yesterday, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa- Southern Africa (ECA-SA) said there was need to deepen efforts aimed at promoting regional intergration in support of the African Union’s vision and priorities.

Economic Commission For Africa Southern Africa Director Jeninifer Kargbo said the ECA office was involved in assisting member states in montoring and assessing progress made in micro economic and institutional policy convergence , monetary and financial intergration as the region prepares for the Free Trade Area (FTA) and Customs Union (CU).

The ECA Southern Africa Director noted that the Southern African Region has presented an evaluation of progress towards the attainment of the FTA and CU in SADC and Common Market For Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)respectively.

She further noted there was need for countries to have an ultimate goal creation of one trading bloc to benefit the whole region. She added that countries would decide the prices as they get in the Customs Union Phase between now and 2010 as the harmonisation of the Regional Economic Communities REC’s is in process.