Agricultural Minister Emmanuel Chenda has assured that government will ensure that it rehabilitates and fully recapitalize the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia(NCZ).
Mr. Chenda says this is meant to strengthen and stabilize the fertilizer market in the country and subsequently strengthen the general performance of the agricultural sector.
Mr. Chenda says government’s vision is to bring the whole plant of NCZ into operation saying currently government has sustained a fraction of the NCZ operations such as the production of Compound D for the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
He said government has already released some money towards the rehabilitation of the Ammonium Nitrate plant as one of the ways of bringing the plant into operation.
ZANIS reports that the Minister said this when he officially flagged off the launch of the 2012/2013 Input distribution exercise under the Farmer Input Support Programme at NCZ in Kafue yesterday.
He said it is the expectation of government and Zambians to see NCZ producing sufficient basal and top dressing fertilizers for both the farmers in the country and beyond.
Mr. Chenda stated that government awarded contracts to two fertilizer suppliers to supply the additional 153,634 metric tonnes of fertilizer apart from the 30 000 metric tonnes to be produced by NCZ.
He has since commended NCZ for working towards completing the production of the 30 000 metric tonnes of fertilizers they have been given to produce adding that the plant should look beyond producing fertilizers only for FISP to ensure sustainability of the company operations.
Mr. Chenda also disclosed that the implementation of the electronic Voucher system is underway and that his ministry is fine tuning the necessary details for it to be successfully operational next year during the 2013/2014 agricultural farming season.
The Minister has since called on fertilizer suppliers not to resort to closures of storage and warehouse facilities during the distribution exercise as a way of demanding for their payment from government saying they should find ways of dealing with government instead of inconveniencing the farmers.
And speaking earlier, NCZ Chief Executive, Richard Soko commended government through the Ministry of Agriculture for selecting NCZ to supply 30,000 metric tonnes of D compound fertilizer for the FISP programme during the 2012/2013 farming season.
Mr. Soko said the contracts that NCZ has been awarded over the years to supply fertilizer to the FISP programme have greatly helped in sustaining the company in order for it to contribute to economic development and improving food security in the country.
He also thanked government for the K25 billion recapitalization of NCZ to enable the company to resume production of ammonium nitrate for sale to manufactures of explosives saying this will enhance the company ‘s financial capacity and reduce on dependence on external financial sources.
ZANIS
Talk is cheap. We are tired of promises. We want to see results.
I am always foxed at the way business is conducted in Zambia, especially GOVT owned enterprises. They give you the impression these companies were set up to be charitable entities to shower favours on their customers. It appears to me that the local farmers alone presents a huge revenue potential for NCZ if only the company operated as a profit motivated entity and not a charity. At least I sense that is feeling and attitude of the people managing this company. So many years since this company’s inception we keep getting exactly the same rhetoric like a self winding cassette tape. The same goes for ZESCO. If your focus was really profit and going for it with the necessary greed, loading shedding and other childish excuses cannot be part of your every day vocabulary.Â
Too much patronage
These C.O.C.K.S.U.C.K.E.R.S we have in the PF Â government don’t seem to have a clue of what they are doing or saying. This country is further going down the drain.
WE DONT GET IT. HOW MANY TIMES HAS NCZ been recapitalised?. and we still expect different results
What happened to the promise of 15 bags per farmer when pf formed government? Just another pre-election promise?
PF tread carefuly on NCZ. Whilst the intentions of cheap fertiliser are good this might be a bottomless pit or pitiless bottom. The business model of recapitalsing in order to provide free/subsidised inputs doesnt add up (No positive cashfow). These subsidised fertilizers ought to ride on the back of strong demand/sales of other products such as sulpuric acid and explosive grade ammonium nitrate for the mining industry. There is currently a shortage of sulpuric acid in the region’s mineral processing industry. Sasol for example is not only into fertilisers but exposives, cheimicals, petroleum etc
Produce enough fertilizer for our poor farmers. Let them also be happy .