REMOVE FERTILISER MIDDLEMEN TO REDUCE PRICES, STATE TOLD
By PETER SICHALI
GOVERNMENT should remove middlemen in the procurement of fertiliser to reduce its price, ZAMAST Muchinga Province coordinator JasphatChitimbwa has said.
Mr Chitimbwa said prices of fertiliser and other farming inputs were high thereby affecting agricultural production.
And Mr Chitimbwa said there was need to recapitalise Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) to stop importation of inputs.
He said NCZ is not performing well because of the same middlemen who act as agents and would want to procure fertiliser from abroad for huge selfish profits.
“Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia is equal to the task of producing fertiliser for the whole country,” Mr Chitimbwa said.
He said the new government should stop the procurement of fertiliser from abroad to contain prices of the commodity. “Stopping the procurement of fertiliser abroad and cutting off middlemen will help reduce prices of the commodity.
“Prices of fertiliser will drop immediately we start producing enough from our Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia,” Mr Chitimbwa said.
“As Zamast, we are appealing to President Hakainde Hichilema to cut off all the middle men involved in procurement and transportation of fuel and fertiliser,” MrChitimbwa said.
He said instead, the government should deal directly with the suppliers to reduce prices of fertiliser.
