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President Edger Lungu has vowed that his Government has continued with the quest to unlock potential of the country in the social and economic landscape through infrastructure development.

He said this during the commissioning of the Munali Fly Over Bridge in Lusaka today under the Lusaka City Decongestion Project (LCDP). Analysts however say the current government has delivered on most key development areas but has been let down by their economic management team that have not been able to effectively manage the exchange rate and defend the value of the local unit – the Kwacha.

President Lungu said the LCDP will not only provide smooth mobility of the citizen of Lusaka, but has also created 1000 direct jobs for the local people in the city including several business

“The significant agenda of my government is aimed to develop the country without leaving anyone behind, our massive economic development program is part of our effort to transform the face of the country through economic urbanization,” the President said.

“I am grateful to the people and the government of India for their commitment and support rendered to the Zambian people,” President Lungu said. The President said his Government has transformed the face of Lusaka, He assured the nation that no town in the country, urban or rural will be left behind.

The president said, the good road network in the country will not only provide for smooth travelling but open up business opportunities in the country. President Lungu said this projected was necessitated in Lusaka, due to the increase in the number of vehicles in the city, but will also contribute to economic growth and development.

He said this project has provided opportunities for small and medium local companies to acquire skills [through the 20% mandatory local subcontracting policy] that they will use to grow their companies and this is one way the Government is trying to create job creations for the locals.

Further the President thanked the people of Lusaka, business communities for exhibiting patience, compliance and cooperation during the ongoing construction process.

Speaking at the same event, Local Government Minister Charles Banda said president Lungu will leave behind a legacy that will not only be admired but will not be forgotten for many more years to come.

Banda said in August 2020, the President commissioned the Munali Fly Over bridge, shortly after that, in October, 2020 He commissioned the Arcades fly over bridge and now the people of Zambia are witnessing the commissioning of the Munali fly over Bridge.

He said this is the third bridge out of the four to be commissioned under the LCDP, and is glad to say the bridges President Lungu commissioned have reduced traffic and improved on the safety of travelling for road users.

He said the LCDP is on 95% completion with 93 kilometers of road network paved up to the final layer, the projected is expected to be completed ahead of schedule and the president is expected to commission the Longacres fly over bridge next month. (Photo Credit State house media team)

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President Edger Lungu has vowed that his

Sport

The Zambia Golf Union (ZGU) have confirmed the resuming of the golf fixtures this month in March, 2021 and that the sport will be played under the new normal in adherence with the public health regulations.

ZGU president Christopher Mulenga said as the sport resumes, there is need to be mindful of the pandemic as it is here to stay.

“We need to be more cautious we the golfers, we are not yet where we used to be two years ago in terms of safety, we are in a middle of a pandemic, it is a serious one and we have lost about five golfers through the pandemic and I can caution my fellow golfers that we train cautiously.

Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, mulenga is confident that the Unions two biggest tournament – the Zambia Open and the Zanaco Masters will be will be held this year.

“We are looking forward to the catch up from where we left and hopefully the tournaments take place successfully as the covid pandemic is here to stay,” he said.

Mulenga said there are some financial challenges the fact that the whole of last year the association did not have income earning tournaments and is carrying a deficit in terms of income, so some of the junior golf program that were supposed to be conducted will suffer and are still suffering.

He said the association had an annual program last year where the association needed to pick up in the development of junior golf in Zambia, but was negatively impacted, so there was need to pick up the pieces from where the program reached and try as much as possible to implement what we had planned earlier.

“Our traditional financing is that we sell the concept and our sponsors buy into it, we source partners, we rarely go with a begging bowl to ask for finances, we position ourselves in a manner that we partner with those that believe in what we do, they finance our activities,” he said.

He said going to the government could be an alternative but it’s the least on the agenda as the government is also impacted heavily by the same covid. The budgeted funds in terms of golf from the national treasury is limited, golf is not highly ranked [by the ministry of sport], so we have had to think outside the box and that is what the association has done for many years.

The association president said golf lovers must have looked for the activities coming back but cautiously realizing that the pandemic is still alive, Zambia has not yet procured the vaccine yet and as long as vaccine is not here yet, the virus will spread and there is need to be cautious.

Mulenga said the sport is popular among Zambians and that the unions in total has 25 golf clubs that are scattered around the country. ZGU intends to continue to popularized the sport through junior golf development.

“We have a very ambitious program that was set for January last year [2020] but did not take off because we got impacted by the pandemic. We had planned to recruit a good number of junior golfers, get them equipment, custom fit them so that they begin to improve their skills. The plan is that when they do get the skill, they begin to participate in international tournaments, and when that happens, it means in communities where they are coming from, news will be going around and people will be able to see the popularity of the sport,” he said.

When asked why golf has not leveraged the education system through school golf clubs, Mulenga said golf has not necessarily been introduced in schools, but most of the juniors come from schools. So the recruitment process in terms of golfing is from schools through the golf clubs who run junior programs.

He said the association is working to get as many young ones to play golf as possible, to get the interest out there through the junior directorates. We have an associations director for Junior golf, who is a very focused gentleman and is also working on a very ambitious program.

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The Zambia Golf Union (ZGU) have confirmed

Markets

The Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has said children and youths have a role to play in achieving the national vision for Zambia to become a prosperous middle-income nation.

Speaking during the launch of the #FinancialLiteracyWeek2021 attended by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT , BoZ deputy governor for operations Dr. Francis Chipimo said the provision of a wide range of financial services and financial literacy is intended to empower citizens with necessary skills to manage risks, plan for the future, and achieve their goals.

Dr. Chipimo said equally, these skills will enable business enterprises to access affordable financing as well as facilitation of innovation, growth and employment creation, and ultimately contribute to realizing Vision of making Zambia a middle income country.

“It is important for children and youths to know that financial sector strategies aim to broaden the types of financial services in the banking, capital markets, microfinance, and insurance and pensions sectors”.

“These strategies also aim to promote financial inclusion by making all citizens, including children and youths, have access to, and usage of a broad range of affordable financial products and services in the form of savings, credit, payment, insurance, investment and mobile banking services,” Dr. Chipimo said.

He said children and youths have an opportunity to learn about household and business finances, earning a living, savings, budgeting, prioritizing expenses between needs and wants among others through the primary and secondary education curriculum subjects of Social Studies, Expressive Arts, Business Studies, Civic Education and Physical Education.

“This will provide a good foundation for them to understand how the economy functions, the allocation of money and development of productive assets and financial decision making”.

And by developing the habit of saving and financial planning, and the use of appropriate financial services, children and youths can acquire financial and social security, as well as accumulate capital to meet their current and future development needs, thus leading to prosperity in their individual lives,” he said.

“I therefore wish to encourage them to prioritize education. I also want to reiterate the importance for children and youths to understand that achievement of Vision 2030 is a collective responsibility for everyone. Together, we can make Zambia a prosperous nation,” he said.

The BoZ deputy governor further stated that the central bank was working around continuing with the outreach programmes and finding innovative ways of increasing financial product uptake. BoZ is currently pushing financial service providers to develop products that are suited for people who do not have a lot of money to save.

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The Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has said

Agribusiness

The Zambian Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association has disclosed that government is this week expected to lift the ban on the importation of onion.

Association President Bernard Sikunyongana said the association has been having discussions with the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Agriculture and is hopeful that imports of onion will be allowed this week or next week according to the discussions that have been held.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Sikunyongana said this is the only way to normalize the price of onion and if the importation is further delayed, consumers will be punished as they will have to bear the cost.

Sikunyongana said government’s delay to allow the importation is what has caused onion prices to escalate and be expensive as the few farmers who have it are asking for high prices.

He said the regulation is meant to give an opportunity to farmers who have produced enough onions adding that imports are not allowed if the country has sufficient onion.

He added that imports are only allowed if the country has completely run out of onion, which is currently the case because government does not want to have a situation where it allows the importation of onion meanwhile some farmers in the country still have the commodity.

“There’s nothing in the country and you know when a product is scarce, today you can buy at this price, tomorrow the price will be another one. What happens all these years is that every January we sit down with the ministries, ZNFU and other stakeholders and look at products which are available in the country and those which are not.

If the answer is yes we have enough of a particular agro product, the government does not allow us to import, but if the answer is no, government allows importation”, he said.

Sikunyongana said onion imports always start in February once all the local onion has finished, therefore there has been a delay for two months now because the country currently has no enough onion which is affecting consumers.

He mentioned that stakeholders and traders ensure that they buy all the onion from both commercial and small scale farmers locally before they make the decision to start importing. He noted that the ban was temporal as it was meant to protect local farmers so that they are not stranded with their onion as imports leave farmers stranded, but now that the onion has finished, there are no farmers to protect.

“There is no farmer who still has onion now, there’s nothing completely, this is why you have seen the onion now becoming very expensive, it’s going over K300 a 10kg bag”, he told ZBT.

He also said that once local farmers start harvesting in May-June, the prices will start coming down adding that onion might delay to come on the market because of the heavy rains that have been experienced this year.

Sikunyongana also noted that there has never been a promotion for the production of onion and that is the biggest challenge the country has adding that the country stopped importing tomatoes, cucumbers and other fruits because many farmers now grow them.

He added that farmers have seen the demand for other fruits and vegetables and have increased their production that is not the same with onion.

“Last year we had a programme with World Vision, they wanted their farmers under horticulture to start producing onions but those people had no knowledge on how to do that, we partnered with World Vision and I went to Kasama and Mpika to train the farmers starting from scratch up to selling”, he said.

He said if many NGOs can engage in such activities, the message of people producing a lot of onion can spread within a short time and the country can reduce on imports but that has not happened and everyone is growing maize.

He said onion can pay farmers very well but it is unfortunate that most farmers are not aware of that.

Sikunyongana also noted that if drying facilities for onions can be set up in all the areas where onion is produced, onion importation can be a thing of the past as farmers can be producing throughout because there is a drying shade but as for now whoever produces can’t keep their onion for a long time.

“We [as an association] can provide training, that’s what we did with OXFAM last year, we provided training in Chipata, Central Province and Choma but there is no organisation that has said we can now put up a drying facility”, he said.

Note from ZBT – if there are farmers that still have onions in stick, kindly email editor@zambianbusinesstimes.com

 

 

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The Zambian Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association

Markets

Only a few micro finance institutions have succeeded in accessing funds from the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) K10 billion-stimulus package. Of the K4.1 billion disbursed, only K1.9billion have been accessed by micro lenders

This failure by micro lenders to access the stimulus package has been largely attributed to some of the conditions set by technocrats at BOZ which have seen micro lenders shun pursuing the fund despite the fact that local companies and SMEs who are their key customers are facing liquidity constraints.

Micro lenders in Zambia are the key financiers of local businesses and SMEs as the commercial banking sector has more share of the large corporates and multinational companies. The failure to access the stimulus package in effect means limited flow of the stimulus package to local businesses and the informal sector whose main

Association of Microfinance Institutions in Zambia (AMIZ) executive director Webster Mate in an exclusive interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, stated that only about four micro lenders or institutions had so far accessed the fund and applications for about two micro finance institutions are currently being processed.

The Zambian Government las year through the central bank – BoZ announced a K10 billion targeted medium term refinancing facility aimed at cushioning the adverse effects of Covid-19 on enterprises and individuals, with the funds expected to be disbursed for onward lending through commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions.

Mate told ZBT that the reason why only a few of their members had accessed the funds was because some have some internal processes and requirement that need attention to satisfy [the BOZ requirements] while some institutions did not see the immediate need to apply for the funds.

“Applying for such funds is a decision which is made at individual institution level internally. The other pertains to the requirements by the central bank – BOZ that the board of directors of that particular company/institution must approve the application first, that is when they start doing due diligence which if satisfied, BoZ then notifies the applicant of the decision,” he said.

Mate explained that during due diligence, if BoZ discovers that the particular institution has a running loan with another institution, the institution is asked to provide proof that the other creditor is aware of the institution’s intention to borrow from BoZ and has no objections to it. He said some of their members have failed to access the funds because they have running loans with other institutions.

“This has to some extent been another reason as to why only a few institutions have accessed the funds from the central bank. I am aware of one institution where such has happened but also the other major factor is that not all institutions felt like they could apply for the facility because they did not see the immediate need for it,” he added.

Mate said the stimulus package has helped institutions that accessed the funds to have [adequate] capital, which is important for any business. A few micro financial institutions are among the 18 applications that were received from non banking institutions amounting to K1.9 billion that has been disbursed.

He further revealed that lending activities for micro finance institutions have reduced due to the economic downturn resulting from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mate said demand for some of the services has not been as it should be because economic activity has been slow.

“We [micro Finance institutions] are still not doing well economically, which means that demand for some of the services is not as it should be when economic activity is slow. So naturally, the businesses will begin to experience a slowdown in turnover, this affects profitability, and if this happens, you slowdown in terms of what your ambitions are for the future.

“We are optimistic that things will change, now that there are vaccines, there is hope that we can get Covid -19 under control and go back to the way things used to be with heightened attention to personal health. Things are looking positive and we hope this continues to the next quarter and beyond,” he said.

See also an earlier article on how micro finance have struggled to access the K10billion stimulus fund Micro finance struggle in 2020

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Only a few micro finance institutions have

Agribusiness

A source at the Ministry of Agriculture has disclosed to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT that government is yet to lift the ban on the exportation of maize but that the the country should instead expect the exportation of mealie meal to be lifted this week or anytime soon.

In an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo on 17 March 2021 revealed that government has allowed the exportation of maize and has come up with a specific quantity (quota) that will be allowed for the export.

Michael Katambo said the Grain Traders Association of Zambia (GTAZ), Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) have reached an tripartite agreement concerning the export.

The Agro Minister said MAZ has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ministry and will soon disclose the details of the MOU. Efforts to get a comment from the Millers Association of Zambia concerning the contents of the MOU proved futile by press time.

And the Grain Traders Association of Zambia – GTAZ said the exportation will allow the country to earn the much needed foreign exchange. GTAZ Executive Director Chambuleni Simwinga said the country has sufficient maize therefore the price of mealie meal should not be affected whether the country exports or not.

Simwinga said he is positive that the country will have a bumper harvest in this current farming season (2020/2021)m therefore there is no need to keep holding on to maize when the country can export and still have enough for consumption.

Agro Minister Katambo is expected to make the official announcement to spell out the details of the allocated quota for export and will also avail measures that will be put in place to avoid the price of mealie meal escalating out of reach.

Stakeholders have advised that exporting a value added products like mealie meal bring in more foreign exchange into the Zambian economy when compared to exporting maize grain. Moreover, the local milling ensures that jobs are retained in Zambia.

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A source at the Ministry of Agriculture

Markets

ZSIC Life has for the second time postponed its highly anticipated initial public offer – IPO listing of its shares on the Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) to next year 2022.

The Life insurer was expected to undertake a public offer of its shares in 2021 after the initial postponement of its listing that had earlier been planned for 2020. The listing of ZSIC life and ZAFFICO had earlier been announced in the October 2018 budget speech by then Finance Minister Margerate Mwanakatwe for listing in 2019.

Mwanakatwe had in the 2019 budget then stated that “ZSIC Life and ZAFFICO will be listed on LuSE in 2019”. ZAFFICO has since been successfully listed, while the listing of ZSIC Life has now been postponed for the second time.

However, the company has stated that they have made some progress such as the converting of the company from a private limited company to a public company. “ZSIC Life’s ordinary shares have now been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in terms of the Securities Act with effect from September 3, 2020”.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, ZSIC Life public relations manager Nabwalya Vlahakis said the company shares were now tradable and quoted on the second tier market.

Vlahakis said this means that the shares are not yet completely opened up to the public as the registration with SEC was part of the process to the full listing on LuSE.

“Our ordinary shares have been registered with the SEC, this means that the shares of ZSIC Life are now tradable on the second tier market, this entails that we have not yet opened up completely to the public, it is just part of the process”, Vlahakis stated.

“So this is the first step towards our eventual listing on LuSE, by upgrading from the quoted tier to the listed tier. We are in the process, by next year [2022], we will be officially listed on LuSE, and then we can open up [our shares] to the public,” she said.

The insurer stated that there are a couple of processes that are remaining to be followed and are quite lengthy but this is just means preparation on the part of company.

“As a company going out there to the public to sell shares, you have to be a company that is bringing something great to the market. Our different plans, product offering are in line with what we want the public to have, but it is just the regulatory processes we are concluding,” she said.

She also assured ZSIC Life clients and Zambian citizens in general that there is nothing to worry about because the listing is a great step towards improving profitability and attracting more investments.

“Usually there is concern on what will happen to the company after we list, the company is a wholly Zambian owned and our track record is that we are one of the oldest insurance firms, so the listing for us means enhancing our profitability.

“What happens is that every time a company is listed, it changes its profile, the company begins to have a good image because then, its shares are tradable on the stock exchange market and that means that the profile for the company goes up.

“So there is really no fear that should be out there as it is a good thing for the company to be more competitive. For us its just aligning and evolving as a company, and becoming more profitable as we keep on moving with the time,” Vlahakis said.

The net outcome of SEC registration under the Act is that the shares of ZSIC Life are now tradeable on the second tier market of LuSE). SEC registration gives automatic admission to the quoted tier segment of the LuSE market.

Therefore, the quotation of ZSIC Life is the first step towards its eventual listing by upgrading from the quoted tier to the mainboard or listed tier of the LuSE market. Going forward, following the quotation of ZSIC Life on the LuSE, the Board and management of ZSIC Life are working through the steps and actions required to attain a full listing on LuSE.

ZSIC Life is wholly owned by the Industrial Development Corporation (“IDC”). In 2015, ZSIC Holdings was placed under the IDC. In 2017, the IDC took direct equity control of ZSIC General and ZSIC Life to streamline the operating structure and improve the performance and profitability of the two companies.

See the first postponement ZSIC Listing first postponement

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ZSIC Life has for the second time

Sport

Sports Analyst Aaron Mubanga has attributed the poor performance of Zambian clubs that include Kitwe’s Nkana and Lusaka’s Napsa Stars in continental football to psychological unpreparedness that has resulted in most players going into the games with a defeated mindset.

Mubanga said most of the times, Zambian clubs go into these Continental games with a defeated mindset, you hear them making statements such as playing at this time of the day, will give an advantage to a particular team which is a bad thing.

Zambian glamour side Nkana suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Moroccan side Raja Casablanca in a Group D CAF Confederations Cup match tie played at Ndola’s Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Wednesday night. In the first group stage match, Nkana lost 3-0 to Egypt’s Pyramids in an away game

And NAPSA Stars gave way a healthy 2-0 lead draw 2-2 at home against visiting Algerian side JS Kabylie in a CAF Confederations Cup second round stage match played at Lusaka’s Hero’s Stadium. In the first match, NAPSA Stars suffered a 2-0 loss against CAF defending champions, RS Berkane.

“I think the problem is the mental aspect, I think most of the times our clubs go into the game defeated already, you hear them making statements that playing at this time of the day, will give an advantage to a particular team,” he said.

Mubanga said It is the psychological issue that Zambians clubs have, most of them have already told their mind that that they cannot beat an Arab team. And at times, it is us failing to close the games and sometimes it is inadequate preparation going into continental football.

He said It is a matter of working on the small of the aspect of the game that is costing Zambian clubs, there is a lot of talent, that is undisputed.

Mubanga said for NAPSA Stars, they were supposed to win the game, they were leading 2-0, in 86 minute they conceded so as in the 90th minute and this was due to lack of concentration and the technical bench not working towards sealing the game early enough.

For Nkana, it is even remarkable that they have reached this far, given the amount of problems they are going through, the club is in a rebuilding phase and played a very good Raja Casablanca side with a number of good established players compared to Nkana

“In continental football, if a team was to go far, that team must be able to win home games, but unfortunately Nkana lost because they faced a very good side, they are in a rebuilding phase and we should not expect much from them. For NAPSA Stars, the group they are in, is a group they can easily get out from, for now, they need to force one away win,” he said.

Mubanga added that nothing is lost yet for both teams, but for Nkana it will be tough as they have lost their first two games. They however stand a chance if they work on the small mistakes they made in the home game, they would have carried the day and be in a very good place right now.

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Sports Analyst Aaron Mubanga has attributed the

Markets

The Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) Chief Executive Officer Priscilla Sampa has disclosed that LuSE is soon going to launch an online platform that will allow the public to buy and sell shares online.

Speaking during the launch for the #FinancialLiteracyWeek2021 which the Zambian Business Times – ZBT is participating in, Sampa stated that “As LuSE, we understand the current market shift to using digital interactions to offer better access to financial instruments making it all round convenient for you as an end user, other than ensuring the social distancing.

“We have been thrown a turbulent year in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, each one of us has suffered indirectly or directly by the pandemic, we have since made some changes to how we were living before the pandemic,” she said.

Sampa said these changes have expedited a rapid shift from being more physical to more digital interactions; this has caused some uncertainties in the wellbeing of some people financially.

She disclosed that “for purposes of being efficient and effective, LuSE is about to introduce an online platform that allows the public to trade their shares, bonds and other financial instruments on LuSE”.

“This platform will be available on phone via USSD, mobile application and internet. So you can buy and sell shares or other securities from the Comfort of your home or office,” she said.

The LuSE  CEO also said her Organization was working on an online portal that will bring together Small and Medium size Enterprises – SMEs in need of capital and SME financiers. “We will soon be launching an innovative platform that brings together SMEs in need of capital and the financiers who are looking for investment opportunities.

“The portal comes completely with an inbuilt comprehensive scoring and rating of each input by the respective SME as an applicant indicating to the SME financier how well they are doing and the prospects of their application. Some may raise capital by way of acquiring shares from financiers,” she said.

Local businesses in Zambia have had difficulties raising requisite finances to use to build their businesses and scale to large corporate. The banking industry is dominated by commercial banks with no specialized units for development or venture capital finance.

The LuSE alternative market has also had challenges to emerge as a viable alternative platform for SMEs to fully utilize to raise capital for growth. Yet is is well known that most people in Zambia work for SMEs in the vast informal sector, with broad based national development depending on this very sector (SME’s) to expand.

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The Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) Chief Executive

Agribusiness

Sugarcane out-grower farmers in Mazabuka have accused Illovo’s Zambia Sugar of setting buyer prices that are exploitative and need to be revised urgently if local farmers are to earn a meaningful return.

The mostly local out-grower farmers disclosed that the pricing of sugarcane is usually too low as the farmers only receive 50% of the turnover from the seasonal produce, meanwhile they have to cover the entire input costs which is leaving them with little to nothing in terms of profit.

Kaleya Smallholders Farmers Association which is a group of farmers who grow sugarcane as out-growers for Zambia Sugar Company said the price sharing mechanism needs to be reviewed as it disadvantages the out-grower farmers who have to bear more costs than what the mechanism entails.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, one of the out-grower farmers representative, identified as Mr. Mwiinga, called on government to promote legislation that will compel promoting companies such as Zambia Sugar to exercise realistic price sharing mechanisms between small producers and multinationals.

He said government should employ deliberate policies that will enable the small scale producers and out-growers to be assisted to access title deeds for their production areas (cane fields) and provide some subsidies for pesticides and fertlisers.

Mwiinga said the production of sugarcane reduced by 42,500 metric tonnes in the 2019/2020 farming season. He said 252,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane was produced in the 2018/2019 farming season compared to the 210,000 metric tonnes that was harvested in the 2019/2020 farming season.

He said poor irrigation and water supply owing to excessive electricity load shedding and the Covid-19 restriction did not allow farmers to do field operations in big numbers which is the usual trend, this is what caused the reduction in production.

He also said that farmers face many challenges such as unavailability of title deeds for the area under production thereby incapacitating them when it comes to access to finances, pests such as aphids in the cane fields and increasing pricing of basal and top dressing blended fertiliser.

Mwiinga said farmers can increase production if they can have a guaranteed and sufficient irrigation water supply and normal cane field replanting intervals of atleast every 5 years. He said one of the mechanisms put in place to increase production is to plant new sugarcanes every after the already planted canes get old and once that is followed, production will increase adding that the application of fertilizer also needs to be consistent.

Mwiinga told ZBT that in instances where water supply is inadequate, it becomes a challenge as the sugarcane requires a lot of water and the farmers get their water from Kafue River through Zambia Sugar Company.

The need for monitoring out-growers conditions by the ministry of Agriculture have been echoed across the Agriculture value chain owing to some anchors who set exploitative prices that leave the local farmers with tight profit margins which make their expansion plans impossible.

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Sugarcane out-grower farmers in Mazabuka have accused