Africa-Press – Zambia. The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has expressed its dismay at 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 commodity. The ZNFU pointed out that the country has been producing enough wheat to meet national consumption needs, and that the decision to import wheat comes only three months after the previous harvest.
In a press statement released to the media and signed by ZNFU President Jervis Zimba, the ZNFU argued that the decision to import wheat goes against the government’s own encouragement for farmers to expand wheat production and will not create jobs within the country. They also questioned the rationale behind the decision, stating that there is no current crisis in the wheat industry that would warrant such a move.
The union also raised concerns about the process by which the decision was made, claiming that it was made at a hastily organized meeting with no physical verification of stock levels and without proper consultation with industry stakeholders. They argued that any requests for wheat importation should be made through consultations with private sector industry stakeholders in order to safeguard domestic production and marketing dynamics, and to ensure that investments in local wheat production are maintained.
The ZNFU also highlighted the benefits of the import substitution strategy that the country has pursued in the wheat value chain, which has been successful and envied by other countries. They called on the government to reconsider its decision to import wheat and to instead allow the wheat industry stakeholders to determine if there are any grounds for such a move.
The union has previously written to the Ministry of Agriculture on the matter, but their letters have gone unanswered. They have now called on the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture to respond to their concerns and to reconstitute the stock monitoring committee with a focus on its intended objectives, rather than serving the interests of a select few.
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