Farmers in Zambia are concerned with the continued importation of onions and potatoes

Published 2022년 2월 21일

Tridge summary

The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has expressed concern over the Ministry of Agriculture's continued authorization of onion and potato imports, despite the country's surplus. The union has engaged the Ministry on this issue, but to no avail. The importation of onions is putting local farmers at risk of losing over K23 million worth of produce. The ZNFU is calling on the President to intervene and change the Ministry's attitude towards imports, and to protect local farmers.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has said that is deeply disturbed by the continued authorization by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) of importation of onions and potatoes into the country even when Zambia has this commodity in abundance. In a statement released to the media by ZNFU president, Jervis Zimba, ZNFU said that the organization has always engaged the MoA over the issue of importation of commodities that can be grown within the country, and onions and potatoes are some of the products. Mr. Zimba said that his organization is saddened that it has not had a favourable response on this matter as the importation of onions has continued unabated and as a result, Zambia risk having over K23 million worth of onions going to waste if the matter remains unaddressed. Mr. Zimba said that the Minister of Agriculture, Hon Mtolo Phiri, must clearly state whether he would like to see the country continue being a net importer of commodities that Zambia can readily produce, as ...

Source: Lusakatimes