Africa-Press – Zambia. Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo has denied reports that his ministry has granted permission for the importation of 125,000 metric tons of wheat. Earlier today, the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) expressed shock at the ministry’s decision to allow for the importation of wheat despite local farmers producing adequate wheat stocks for national consumption.
However, Mtolo told Phoenix News that as far as he is concerned, there is no permission that has been granted to any company or individual to import wheat. Mtolo explained that although he has not been briefed yet on the latest resolutions of the stock monitoring committee, which the ZNFU is a part of, such a decision, if true, is ineffective. He added that when he inquired about the matter with Ministry Permanent Secretary Green Mbozi, the controlling officer also expressed ignorance of the purported permits for wheat importation.
In a press statement released yesterday, 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. The union 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 ZNFU 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.
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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