By Isaac Zulu
National Democratic Congress leader Saboi Imboela has charged that President Hakainde Hichilema has decided to give priority to the establishment and commissioning of a private fertiliser manufacturing company, as opposed to revamping Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia because he has vested interest in it.
Speaking in an interview, Imboela said that President Hakainde Hichilema is taking pride and giving priority to the commissioning of Capital Fertiliser manufacturing company because he has vested interest in the facility, claiming that the people behind the said company are close associates with the Head of State.
She said that it would have been prudent for President Hichilema and the UPND administration to prioritise and invest in Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) before considering the establishment of a private fertiliser manufacturing company, saying investing in the Kafue based facility would lead to the reduction of prices of fertiliser, which would in turn result in low cost of production of maize in the country.
Imboela said that a caring government should take interest in strengthening governance institutions and parastatal bodies for the benefit of its citizens.
She noted that, if revamped to its maximum potential, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia has the potential to produce large quantities of fertiliser, which can be supplied across the country.
“The stories that we have always been getting are that Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia needs recapitalisation for it to run at full capacity because the machinery at the plant is obsolete. And indeed, we agree that if there is investment and revamping of Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia to its maximum potential has the potential to lead the increased production of fertiliser locally, which will also result in the reduction of the cost of fertiliser,” Imboela said. “Unfortunately, President Hakainde Hichilema has given priority to the establishment and commissioning of a private fertiliser manufacturing company because he has vested interest in Capital Fertiliser manufacturing company.”
She urged the UPND administration to take keen interest in investing in the agricultural sector in order to diversify the country’s economy.
“A responsible government should take keen interest governance institutions and parastatal bodies. If the UPND administration is serious about diversifying the country’s economy from mining dependency, they should invest in the agricultural sector,” said Imboela.
