Zambia achieves fertiliser independence
By Masauso Mkwayaya
Agriculture Minister REUBEN MTOLO says the country has attained self-sufficiency in the production of Urea and D-Compound fertiliser.
Mr. MTOLO attributes this achievement to the establishment of local manufacturing plants for fertiliser production.
He is hopeful that this will also lead to a reduction in fertiliser prices.
The Agriculture Minister said this in the National Assembly when responding to questions after presenting a Ministerial Statement on the Farmer Input Support Programme -FISP for the 2024 -2025 season.
Meanwhile, Mr. MTOLO has advised small-scale farmers not covered under- FISP to utilise other initiatives such as the Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility -SAFF- instead of sharing fertiliser allocated under FISP.
He said FISP only covers about one-million and twenty four thousand farmers out of three million five hundred thousand.
Mr. MTOLO added that Government has introduced financing facilities such as SAFF to provide more opportunities for farmers.
He said this in response to Mpika Central Member of Parliament FRANCIS KAPYANGA, who sought clarification on the Government’s stance regarding fertiliser sharing in Mpika.
