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The Bank of Zambia (BOZ) has disclosed that the monetary policy committee has raised the policy rate by 50 basis points (0.5%) to 8.5% from 8%, effectively increasing lending rates.

BOZ Governor Christopher Mvunga stated that in the central bank has scaled up interventions to moderate pressure on the Kwacha and stabilize exchange rate in the fourth quarter of 2020. BOZ sold about US$340 million compared to about US$150 million in the third quarter of 2020 on a net basis.

During a monetary policy committee briefing attended by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Mvunga said due to foreign exchange interventions and debt service, gross international reserves declined by US$117.7 million to US$1.2 billion at end-December 2020 from US$1.3 billion at end-September.

He also said rising excess demand continued to characterise the foreign exchange market due to higher import requirements for petroleum products and agricultural inputs [fertilizers] under the farmer Input Support Program – FISP.

As a result, the Kwacha weakened against the US dollar by 9.4% to an average of K20.71/US$ in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with 3.3% depreciation in the third quarter of 2020.

Mvunga noted that earnings from non-traditional exports, gold and cobalt declined and merchandise imports rose by 0.5% to US$ 1.4 billion following an increase in consumer and capital goods which more than offset reductions in raw materials and intermediate goods.

Mvunga said inflationary pressures have continued to build over the past one year adding that this period coincided with the significant contraction in growth following the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic.

He said mobilising external support and the successful restructuring of the country’s external debt are critical components in achieving fiscal sustainability, reestablishing macroeconomic stability and reinvigorating sustainable growth.

He said with concerted and collective action, Zambia can come out of the covid-19 induced crisis a stronger and more resilient economy. The Governor added that the path to economic recovery and growth requires the effective implementation of the measures contained in the government’s recently launched economic recovery programme.

Mvunga also noted that decisions on the policy rate will continue to be guided by inflation forecasts, outcomes and identified risks including those associated with financial stability.

Analysts at the Zambian Business Times have pointed out the slow pace of revamping Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia – NCZ by the Industrial Development Corporation – IDC, is one of the key economic areas that could cut the need for forex outflows. NCZ or indeed investing into any other local fertilizer manufacturer remains an effective strategy to stem the current forex bleeding.

Another factor mentioned by the BOZ Governor that is driving the forex outflow is the import of petroleum. When you look at the Biofuel fuel project in Luapula, its also receiving leap service with completion of the project moving at a snails pace. Biofuels which can be blended with petroleum can cut upto 60% of the current petroleum import bill if driven aggressively.

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The Bank of Zambia (BOZ) has disclosed

Tech

An education expert and founder of Great North Road Academy has questioned the pronouncement by the Ministry of General Education to abolish grade seven examinations (G7), stating that no proper study or background report has been availed to fully explain the action.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Great North Road Academy Director Dr. Rozious Siatwambo questioned the rationale behind the abolishing of grade seven exams, stating that is a wrong move because there were no proper on the ground preparations done.

“In some Countries, our friends have what we call the Psychometrics test specifically to identify the abilities and strength for the learners, like which areas are the learners strong. Through these Psychometrics test, you are able to tell that this child can be able to advance in academics or needs skills training, maybe at grade seven this was what we could have done instead of just abolishing these exams,”

Dr. Siatwambo stated that “am not entirely against the abolishment of Grade Seven exams, but probably the way it is being done and the timing is wrong. There where no ground preparations”. He requested that a report be availed to assure the public that there are enough spaces. “We all know for sure that there are fewer spaces in grade eight than in grade seven, the higher you go, the fewer the spaces”.

And regarding the effect on teachers, Dr. Siatwambo stated that those who are teaching in secondary schools will find themselves in a crisis were the class will have say 100 learners, so how do they handle this high number of learners?” he asked?.

He said abolishing of grade seven exams is taking the burden of teaching basic skills of reading and writing from primary school teachers to secondary school teachers who are not experts in primary education, adding that, not everyone of the 470,000 learners who has progressed to grade eight can read and write.

He said the Ministry of Education was supposed conduct enough surveys across the country on grade seven learner’s ability to read and write before abolishing the exams, because most learners from some public and rural schools cannot read and write on their own.

“The Ministry of Education was supposed to conduct surveys on learner’s ability to read and write because most learners from public schools cannot read and write. So how do we help these learners? it’s a disaster in waiting”,Dr. Siatwambo stated.

“I can foresee secondary school teachers working with a lot of pressure. You know secondary teaching is with a higher level of specialization, if am specialized say in mathematics and biology, how do I deal with learners that can not read and write?”

“Who in secondary school will be dealing with these learners who cannot read and write properly? so that is another crisis that we are yet to meet. I can assure you that the next grade nine exams after this intake will be revealing”, He questioned.

He further stated that “I am also trying to understand the idea behind the ministry of education implementing such, I know maybe the idea is with the fact that every child is intelligent in their own way and also in line with the new curriculum that recognizes the learner’s abilities such that those that are not academically gifted, they can go the skills or vacations way, but do we have a mechanism to identify those that are good at skills?  those that have special talents and those that are good academically?,” he questioned.

He said the implementation of the policy has punched serious holes into our education system and we are yet to see the effects at a letter stage,” he said. The Great North Road Academy Director said the implementation should have been done gradually to create room to find ways and means to identify what modalities should be used, and also to identify the learner’s various abilities.

He added that the teacher pupil ratio in Government schools is too high compared to private schools, adding that in private schools the teacher pupil ratio is around 1 teacher to 25 pupils at primary level and at secondary level, its from 1 teacher to 35 pupils, unlike that obtains in some government schools where teacher pupil ratio is say 1 teacher to 120 pupils.

Dr. Siatwambo stated that government was supposed to test the mechanism before abolishing unlike abolish the exams then test the process of implementing. He added that the government would have first removed all that bottom-necks as implementing a new policy always comes with its own challenges.

The Ministry of General Education should have trained the teachers first on how to identify the strength and weakness of the child before implementing the policy and then when they see it work, that’s when they can be able to implement it.

Ministry of General Education permanent secretary Jobbicks Kalumba is on record to have stated that grade seven exams should be abolished because they are an unnecessary cost to Government. He said instead of the grade seven to sit for their exams, they should be subjected to continues assessment alongside the implementation of repeat policy to examination.

Kalumba had stated that “Automatic progression policy has not started now, it started like 10 years ago. He stated that what is need are continuous assessments (CA) for Grade Seven. Those who fail the CAs should repeat. He said with the continuous assessment, it would be easy for teachers to sieve children who are unable to read and write to processed to higher grades.

The General Education Permanent Secretary said allowing grade seven learners to proceed to grade eight should not be described as an academic suicide. Zambia has adequate built adequate infrastructure over the years to accommodate all the grade seven who qualified to grade eight.

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An education expert and founder of Great

Agribusiness

The steep depreciation of the Kwacha is the main cause of the market increase in prices of stockfeed as concentrates and additives which are the key inputs, are currently imported into the country.

The Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ) has revealed that the high price of stockfeed across the country is due to the increase in import cost which, in Kwacha terms, has gone up by over 60% in one year, in line with the depreciation of the Kwacha in the same period.

PAZ Executive Manager Dominic Chanda said that moreover, the current high maize and soya cake prices have also contributed to the increase in prices of stockfeed, which will also feed into the retail prices of poultry and other meat products.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Chanda said stockfeed supply is currently meeting the demand in the country and there is more than enough for the poultry industry, but was quick to state that import costs for additives are higher due to the Kwacha depreciation.

He said almost all the millers have the capacity to supply and there is no shortage on the market. “The dollar to Kwacha exchange parity is significant in the sense that the soya cake for instance is priced in US dollars and the ingredients and premixes including the packaging material are all imported, so you cannot rule out the dollar from there”.

He further stated that “Whenever you see a K1 loss of value against the dollar, it’s likely that the prices of feed go up by almost about 4%, that is what we have observed over the years”, he said.

Chanda said the prices of stockfeed can reduce if there is stability and strengthening of the Kwacha as this will help to stabilize and reduce the import cost components. If one wants to understand the final pricing of poultry products, one has to understand the poultry value chain, specifically things like feed have to be looked at from the whole supply chain.

“What is the beginning point, where do we need change, we need change specifically at the small and medium holder levels of those that are producing maize and soya beans as those are the key inputs into the poultry industry. The moment the kwacha stabilizes, imported inputs, specifically fertilizers, will be cheaper and production cost like producing a 50kg bag by small and medium farmers will be cheaper”, he said.

He added that once that challenge is addressed, subsequent players along the value chain of soya beans and maize will have a cheaper output.

“We may say let the prices of maize be lower but at the end of the day, the farmer producing maize and mealie meal have high input costs, so we need to address them at primary production levels”, he said.

He also said that improving productivity at small and medium scale level will be a step in the right direction, but without it, it becomes difficult because everything that is produced with inefficiency and high cost of production ultimately has effects on the final consumer and in this case it will be the chicken retail prices.

He said most small scale farmers produce 1.5 tonnes per hectare and if that productivity can be improved to 4, 5 or 6 tonnes per hectare, then ultimately there will be enough maize and the price will reduce. He said these solutions are difficult in the short run, but can work in the long run as all the factors can be considered.

In Zambia, the institutions charged with the responsibility to manage the stability of the financial sector is the Bank of Zambia – BOZ working together with the parent ministry of Finance. However, the two institutions have failed to find a wining formula to manage the stability and resilience of the local currency.

Moreover, both the Bank of Zambia Governor and Ministers of Finance and their teams have escaped direct accountability. The Kwacha has depreciated by over 60% in one year, a state of affairs that would ideally result in dismissals and sacking of responsible economic managers.

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The steep depreciation of the Kwacha is

Tech

ZESCO has reiterated that long hours of load shedding in Zambia have ended stating that those still experiencing longer hours of no supply may be as a result of routine maintenance works or faults.

ZESCO public relations manager Hazel Zulu refuted claims by some Lusaka residents that some areas such as Chawama, Kuku and other high population density areas in Lusaka are still experiencing long hours of load shedding.

“Some areas are experiencing power challenges due to routine maintenance and we ensure that we communicated to our esteemed customers, at times even two days before. Members of the public need to appreciate that we are dealing with equipment which need to be maintained for it to perform to the optimum capacity, so maintenance cannot be ignored, it is a very important activity in the whole process,” she said.

She said ZESCO is able to give constant supply to its esteemed customers because the good water inflow in the various reservoirs this year. She noted however that, if there are some areas that are experiencing load shedding, it could be faults or vandalism that may have caused by some unscrupulous members the public. She told ZBT that last year, the company recorded about K5 million loss in terms vandalized property.

Some Lusaka’s residents contacted ZBT insisting that load shedding has persisted in some parts of Chawama and kuku area despite the assurance from ZESCO that Load shedding was going to end.

The Kuku and Chawama residents complained that despite the ZESCO assurance to the nation that load shedding would come to an end, the situation in their residential area has not improved. One of the resident of Kuku compound who runs a hair saloon said her business has gone down because she only works for three hours instead of more than the eight hours she previously used to put in.

“Nowadays, it is very difficult for me to conduct my business because of load shedding.  Before load shedding I used to work for eight hours and at least I used to make good money but now my business has gone down. Sometimes am even failing to pay school fees for my daughter and also paying rentals. This is the worst experience have ever had in my saloon business,” she said.

She said ZESCO should end load shedding because it’s the only source of energy she can afford to power her business. “I do not have any other source of income apart from the saloon business”. But when asked she had reported the complaint to ZESCO, the resident could not confirm but stated that the call centre number does not go through.

ZESCO has since advised those still experiencing long hours of load shedding to be calling the call center on 363636 or use the online platforms to report faults, adding that ZESCO has a mobile application [Zesco app] which can be downloaded from google App Store and can also be used to report faults.

She said ZESCO has a text based [USSD] application targeting the people who do not have smartphones by dialing *3600# with the details. And Zulu has appealed to the general public to help curb vandalism and repost all suspects to the nearest police station.

“Let me take the opportunity appeal to the people who vandalize our installations to stop, the public should work and partner with us because people who vandalize come from these communities we live in”.

“People should be able to report these suspects who vandalize our installation to the police and ZESCO. When ZESCO equipment is vandalized, the impact is on the entire community, so people should look at the installations as their own by taking good care of them,” Zulu said.

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ZESCO has reiterated that long hours of

Agribusiness

The Zambian Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association says the banning of the importation of onion is a good move that has come at the wrong time. There is need for correct timing to avoid prices of onions going up when the ban is implemented.

Association President Bernard Sikunyongana said it is premature to ban the importation of onion because the country is not prepared, adding that there is no enough onion in the country, the very reason why imports have been coming in.

Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Sikunyongana said the country always starts the seasonal importation of onion in February until July when local onion becomes available.

Sikunyongana said it is a good idea to support local farmers but the country [Ministry of Agriculture] has not done its homework. The first step is to encourage local farmers to produce more onion, adding that most local farmers are not aware of the high demand, which period the demand peaks or becomes very high and have not yet invested in dryers.

He added that local farmers have not been equipped with knowledge of how to [commercially] dry the onions and the standards and methods of drying. The country and especially local farmers needs to do a lot of homework and invest more in order to be able to produce good quality onions which can also be exported.

“It is a good move when you want to protect the local farmers, but when there is no farmer or group of farmers who are producing enough to satisfy the demand, who are you protecting and what are you protecting”.

With potatoes, farmers group themselves under Buya Bamba and they produce potatoes, but currently, they are unable to meet the demand. But as for onion, there’s nothing like a buyer group in the country”, he said.

He further said no one has taken up the challenge of informing and training farmers on how they can increase Onion production and coordinate the production and marketing, adding that this is not something that can be done in one year.

He said the association plans to engage the ministry of agriculture concerning the matter so that they can hear its concerns as the country is not ready for this move. Sikunyongana said the association members brings in about 25 trucks of onion into the country every week and currently no farmer in the country can meet that demand.

He added that no local or group of local farmers are able to produce onions that can meet the country’s demand, stock it and dry it properly, as there is no farmer with onion dryers in the country, adding that farmers with onion dryers can be able keep onions for a period of six months.

He said onions cannot be kept for such a long period of time without onion dryers as it would start germinating. This is what needs to be resolved first.

“I can assure you that if they don’t allow the importation of onion; you will be buying one pocket of Onion at about K200 and it will become expensive for the consumer. Potatoes are now going at K120-K140, but if our members can be allowed to import, potatoes prices can come to K70-K80 per pocket”, he said.

He said Buya Bamba has mobilised some “white farmers” who are producing potatoes but the country is not self-sufficient when it comes to onion. He added that these farmers are given seed and after production, Buya Bamba provides a market for them.

“Buya Bamba has gotten a contract from all these chain stores, even us traders used to get potatoes from Buya Bamba for the whole of last year, but it would take one week for you to get your order fulfilled after paying, so meaning the demand is not been met”, he said.

He added that chain stores only get 20% of what they ask for from Buya Bamba, meaning there is no capacity to meet the demand but meanwhile the government has issued a ban, so now the price has gone up because there is nothing in the country. Efforts to get a comment from Buya Bamba to confirm if they have also engaged local farmers proved futile by press time.

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The Zambian Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association

Companies

Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia – PTAZ has challenged the Zambian embassies and the respective Zambian diplomats to Tanzania and Mozambique to take interest and play their expected role to facilitate the smooth transit of fuel imports into Zambia.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, PTAZ Secretary General Benson Tembo stated that since Indeni Refinery is currently not producing and contributing its 40% to the total national consumption as it is not operational, it means 100% finished petroleum products are been imported.

He called on Zambia’s ambassadors and high commissioners to Tanzania and Mozambique, the countries where most of the imported fuel is transited through, to take keen interest to ensure smooth and timely delivery of fuel and other petroleum products.

“These officers were sent to represent the Zambian government and the people of Zambia need the petroleum products to be delivered timely for economic activities to continue, so these officers must do their job and take an active role to help in the smooth movement of the much needed commodity and not just sit in their offices.

“We are not seeing any of these people [ambassadors or high commissioners] participating to smoothen the supply of petroleum products, they can play a pivotal role by engaging their counterparts and reducing the challenges that the oil marketing companies are facing in Tanzania and Mozambique. If they sit back, I don’t know who they are going to blame tomorrow if we continue to have fuel shortages in the country”, he said.

He added that most of the challenges that the drivers and oil marketing companies are facing can be addressed by the offices of high commissioners and ambassadors. Tembo told ZBT that the country representatives should engage say the Tanzanian Revenue Authority especially when delays occur, they must participate to make sure that there is constant flow of petroleum products to Zambia especially now that 100% of finished fuel is being imported directly.

On the current delays in the normalization of fuel supply, PTAZ further challenged government [Energy Regulation Board – ERB] to ensure they monitor the oil marketing companies. “These oil marketing companies must send people to these countries and borders instead of relying on virtual meetings now that there is 100% reliance on imports of finished products” he said.

Tembo said some of the delays are as a result of the oil marketing companies doing business online instead of physically following up these transactions at the border port to ensure what has been purchased is loaded and quickly delivered to Zambia. So, there are some delays because of using the online system.

He said most oil marketing companies, due to Covid restrictions are relying on clearing agents and companies or people based at the ports of entry, some of whom are inexperienced, which is delaying the process of loading, clearing and delivering the product in Zambia. This is ultimately affecting the flow of petroleum into the country.

The PTAZ General Secretary told ZBT that business for their sub-sector [Petroleum Transportation] has been slow. He said even the business from importing activities has also been slow as transporters are making fewer trips due to clearing delays.

“For instance, transporters are supposed to be making an average of two trips per month per truck on the Dar es Salaam corridor and three trips from the Beira corridor, but our members are currently making an average of one trip in a month, which is not productive”, Tembo stated.

If you look at the situation at Indeni Refinery for local business, there is no movement there. Even when you look at the importing business, transporters are experiencing delays with loading and clearing the trucks at the border. Efforts by ZBT to get a comment from Zambia’s ambassodor to Tanzania and Mozambique was futile by press time.

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Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia - PTAZ

Companies

Livingstone Tourism Association – LTA has welcomed the move by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to restrict the use of commercial cargo by road through the Victoria Falls border.

Association Chairperson Rodney Sikumba said the restriction will help to preserve the life span of the bridge as well as safeguard it for tourism activities.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Sikumba said there is very little infrastructure development that has happened on the bridge over the years and it has been slowly weakening owing to the increased load and age of the bridge.

He said the bridge was built a long time ago and is currently not in a very good state because of the high traffic, adding that ZRA did make mention of the facilities at the border post, which can only take in so much so restricting the tonnage, is a good move.

“We want the bridge to exist and be preserved; we share it with Zimbabwe, so we need people to access the bridge. Imagine a time where that bridge collapses or becomes too dilapidated and we can’t use it anymore, what will happen is that we will be unable to go to the Victoria Falls using the bridge and we may need to use water taxis”, he said.

He said the bridge also has some semblance of history attached to it and tour operators use it when showing tourists around therefore its importance.

He further said the tonnage that would have passed through will now be routed to the multi-million dollar bridge in Kazungula, which needs traffic in order to generate revenue, so it is important to look at it in such a way, adding that since the border is not closed and only a certain tonnage will be restricted, business will be as usual.

Sikumba mentioned that business in the tourist capital is still very slow because the numbers of covid-19 cases keep increasing and the average occupancy rates at hotel and accommodation facilities remains between 0-5 percent every month.

“Business is very slow and we have our staff who also want to be paid so we have continued to engage the government to see how we can proceed”, he said.

In line with SI No. 115 of 2020 that came into effect on 1st January 2021, the Zambia Revenue Authority informed all importers and exporters and the general public that importation and exportation of commercial cargo through the Victoria Falls border will only be allowed on rail transport.

The authority explained that all commercial cargo intended for import and export using the road will have to use alternative entry or exit points such as Kazungula or Chirundu.

ZRA noted that non-commercial cargo or vehicles below 16 tonnes will still be allowed to use the border post adding that the border remains available for use to all hawkers, individual traders, and tourists.

The authority said the measure is meant to preserve the Victoria Falls Bridge and bring sanity to Livingstone town which is Zambia’s main tourist capital, adding that the measure is also meant to reduce human-animal conflict around the border area where truck accidents have been recorded.

ZRA further noted that the limited facilities at Victoria Falls Border Post were not designed to handle commercial cargo and that over the years, trade volumes have increased in the region, hence creating challenges for border officials who are unable to conduct detailed physical inspections due to limited space and other requisite handling facilities at the border post.

According to information made available to ZBT, ZRA also mentioned that due to the location of the border post in the national park area, there has been an increase in animal and human conflict of late.

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Livingstone Tourism Association - LTA has welcomed

Lifestyle

President Edgar Lungu has officially recognized and acknowledged the Zambia National Service – ZNS for its unprecedented efforts which will eventually culminate into the end of “street kids” in Zambia.

Speaking during the State Of the Nation Address – SONA today 12 February 2021, President Lungu stated that his government is addressing the plight of children living on the streets.

The head of state singled out efforts by the Zambia National Service – ZNS for providing camps for skills training for adolescents removed from the streets. He stated further that the ZNS program empowers former street and vulnerable youths through character transformation and skills training.

President Lungu stated that “ since 2018, about 2,000 street children have been removed from the streets and reintegrated into society. The training received include carpentry, General Agriculture, metal fabrication, bricklaying, tailoring and designing”.

ZNS which was once a youth National Service has been charged with the responsibility to use its vast infrastructure and agricultural land to utilize the nation’s demographic dividend.

ZNS in 2020 alone targeted 1,100 adolescents out of which 350 boys commenced their training at Chiwoko ZNS camp in Katete, eastern province while the 500 boys and 250 girls will this year commence their training at Chishimba and Kitwe ZNS training camps.

President Lungu stated that “ this exercise of ending streetism among children from disadvantaged families in our society using ZNS is a glowing success and unprecedented”. See also See other ZBT articles on street kids plight

Others Another article on street kids plight

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President Edgar Lungu has officially recognized and

Lifestyle

The banking sector in Zambia is mostly foreign owned. This has made these very important institutions less willing to tailor and offer solutions suitable to local needs. Most major banks in Zambia remain serving niche or select types of segments of the market.

One local solution to this need for locally tailored financing solutions has seen the Bank of Zambia – BOZ taking a bold step to support a concept and practice of village banking. Village banks today are seen as a future for building locally owned and controlled banks of the future.

Some of the key benefits of village banking is that it enables flexible and tailored lending at lower interest rates. Individuals and businesses which before were being turned away by commercial banks have a source of financing.

A group called Zambia’s Trusted Village Banking (Zatvib) has come together to help each other tackle some of the financial challenges that individuals are facing by saving money as a group which members can borrow and pay back with interest to keep the fund growing.

In order to ensure that members of the group that borrow money do not default or simply refuse to pay back the money, the group ensures that they have proof of residence, proof of source of income, next of kin details and find out from social contacts or close friends if an individual applicant can be trusted before they can access the money.

Moses Nonde, a finance consultant and founder of the group says the group, which has an interest rate of 10%, allows members to borrow up to K20,000 in order to help them invest in their various projects or business ventures.

Nonde says members of the group can borrow any amount though large amounts entail that they provide collateral which the group will not hold on to, adding that if one wants to borrow above a certain amount, such an individual will have to provide collateral which the group can hold on to until the money is paid back.

He said this is in order to prevent people from neglecting to pay back the borrowed money or simply failing to pay back. Other benefits for members is that they can borrow twice the amount of money they have saved. So, the more you save, the more you earn via interest and the more you can borrow.

He further said emergency loans which for smaller amounts as agreed by the members can be approved immediately without providing any collateral, but these should be paid back within one month, adding that anything above that should be paid back within a period of 90 days.

Nonde told ZBT that one of the trends observed so far is that most of the members of the group are females or women, as they are known to be more visionary and focused on the future as compared to men, adding that women are naturally good economists as compared to men.

This trend is a challenge to men to start saving more and avoid the notion that men mostly think of the now while women usually look at the future and plan for it, Nonde stated. The village banking funds have potential to grow to huge amounts provided controls are put in place.

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The banking sector in Zambia is mostly

Companies

The much talked about revival of Mwinilunga Fruit Processing Company by the industrial Developments Corporation – IDC which was planned for commissioning by the end of 2020 has been derailed and is yet to be commissioned.

Sources from Mwinilunga told ZBT that the Mwinilunga’s Kalene fruit processing plant completion had been delayed and the commissioning is still outstanding as the plant construction has not been completed due to lack of equipment which is not yet in the country.

And a check with the project management company confirmed that the factory is not yet completed. Project Manager Charles Chifunda said the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the progress of setting up the plant because productivity has been very low in the industry that is manufacturing the equipment in India.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Chifunda said local productivity has also been affected by Covid-19 as the work has been very slow including in India where the equipment is coming from.

He said he is hopeful that the plant that was set for commissioning last year in October will be commissioned in June this year.

“The equipment is coming from India and as you know India has been hit badly with Covid-19 and the productivity is very low because there was a lockdown, so the manufacturing of the equipment could not be completed”, he said.

Chifunda also noted that works on the Katete fruit processing plant have also slowed down as the equipment, which is coming from the same manufacturers in India is yet to be received.

Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board (WCFCB), National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) jointly invested in the revamping of the Mwinilunga fruit processing plant in 2020.

The fruit processing plant will not be restricted to processing pineapples, which is the major crop from Mwinilunga, but will also be processing other fruits such as oranges, mangoes and several other fruits that are grown in Zambia. The plant will have seven production lines including mineral water processing.

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The much talked about revival of Mwinilunga