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The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has said the decision made by the Ministry of Agriculture to import 125,000 metric tons of wheat, despite the country’s own adequate production of the crop, would affect the wheat farmers
The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has said the decision made by the Ministry of Agriculture to import 125,000 metric tons of wheat, despite the country’s own adequate production of the crop, would affect the wheat farmers. The ZNFU pointed out that the country has been producing enough wheat to meet national consumption. The decision to import wheat came only three months after the previous harvest and urged authorities to stop importing wheat.
ZNFU President Jervis Zimba argued that the decision to import wheat went against the government’s own encouragement for farmers to augment wheat production. The union asserted that the move would not create jobs within the country and questioned the rationale behind the decision as there was no current crisis in the wheat industry that necessitated such a decision.
The union said that the decision was made in a haste with no physical verification of stock levels and without proper consultation with industry stakeholders. Any requests for wheat importation should be made through consultations with private sector industry in order to safeguard domestic production and marketing dynamics, the organization argued.
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The ZNFU also highlighted the benefits of the import substitution strategy that the country has pursued in the wheat value chain and called on the government to reconsider its decision to import wheat. The union has been representing against the decision in various forums but was not addressed. It also urged to reconstitute the stock monitoring committee with a focus on its intended objectives, rather than serving the interests of a select few.
