Some Zambian Farmers have cried foul on the drastic fall of the prices of soybeans on the market.
Some private buyers of the crop in some parts of the country are offering between K5 per kilogram while in other areas buyers are offering as low as k3 per kilogram against last season’s k11 per kg.
A check by the Zambian Business Times in some parts of central Province, established that some private buyers were offering k5 per kg translating into K250 for a 50kg bag of soya grain and k5, 000 per ton.
The Small Scale Farmers Development Agency –SAFADA- has however urged government through the ministry of agriculture to give a cost reflective price which will give farmers a reasonable profit.
SAFADA executive director Boyd moobwe said the Agency has not yet seen Government prices for 2023 marketing season, “but we are anticipating that the prices will rise from last year’s.”
Moobwe said Farmers are only selling their crops at the current k5 others as low as k3 due to high levels of poverty as farmers entirely depend on their crops even when the market is not yet seriously.
“Government should consider farmers and what we expect is that they should give a cost reflective price which will give farmers a reasonable profit.”
“We are not comfortable because farmers are given low pieces even when they are talking about export, it’s the traders who are enjoying more so we are not comfortable with the prices on the market and it’s an appeal to government to put up proper measures that can protect and help farmers.” He remarked.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture declined to comment after expressing ignorant on the matter.
