By Isaac Zulu
Some agro-dealers have said that they do not need sympathy from government, but a lasting solution regarding their demand to increase the price of fertilizer they are supplying to farmers under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
The agro-dealers have said, while they appreciate government’s sympathy and desired commitment to pursue the problem that they presented before the Ministry of Agriculture, they expected government to provide a permanent solution to the problem at hand, because of the continued depreciation of the Zambian Kwacha.
“They are saying that they sympathise with us, as agro-dealers, we do not expect government to be rhetoric on this matter,” said one of the agro-dealers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and is an executive member of the Zambia National Agro-Dealers Association (ZANADA). “What we want from the UPND government is a lasting solution to the problem we have presented to them, and not sympathy. We shall talk more. This is just the beginning of the conversation. And it is good that the Ministry of Agriculture permanent secretary has acknowledged that we are not charitable organisations, but we are in business.”
Recently, some agro-dealers engaged by government in the distribution of farming inputs started exhibiting some inertia to redeem fertilizer and are demanding an increase in the price of the commodity.
Some agro-dealers talked to earlier in an interview, said that they are demanding to increase the price of fertilizer owing to the continued depreciation of the Kwacha against major convertible currencies.
“From the time we entered into FISP contracts with the government to date, the Kwacha has been depreciating drastically. And that is why we are demanding that, in all fairness, we increase the price of the farming inputs,” said one agro-dealer, who spoke on condition of anonimity.
And reached for a comment, Ministry of Agriculture permanent secretary Green Mbozi confirmed the development in an interview, saying government sympathises with the agro-dealers, but there is nothing that can be done immediately to address the issue.
“Yes, some of the agro-dealers, not all of them, have been demanding that they increase the price of the farming inputs due to the continued depreciation of the Kwacha. We sympathise with the agro-dealers,” Mbozi explained. “We understand that they are in business, they are not charitable organisations. They have to make a profit in order to stay in business and grow their businesses. We sympathise with them, but this is not something that can be addressed immediately. But that’s what business is all about. And if the Kwacha was appreciating, the agro-dealers would have been smiling.”
He disclosed that the Ministry of Agriculture is in consultation with the Treasury over the matter, but could not give a definite answer on when the consultation process would be completed.
