Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) says it is unlikely to produce fertilizer for the forthcoming farming season because of the unavailability of the required raw materials.
NCZ Sales and Marketing Manager Munshya Tyetye says production of fertilizer has been made difficult because government has not yet released the K4 billion it had pledged to give NCZ to facilitate the production of fertilizer.
Mr. Tyetye said NCZ has not been able to produce fertilizer since November last year due to the lack of raw materials.
He further told the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in an interview in Lusaka today that the plant also requires rehabilitation.
Mr. Tyetye said currently NCZ needs over K100 billion for the recapitalization of the plant.
Mr. Tyetye said the obtaining scenario is unfortunate because the plant is able to produce 140 metric tonnes of compound D and 80 metric tonnes of Top-dressing fertilizer annually when the plant is operating smoothly.
He also disclosed that middle and senior management at NCZ are owed five months salary arrears.
Mr. Tyetye however said unionized workers have been receiving their monthly salaries adding that no worker has been laid off despite the company facing operational challenges.
He said government is however looking at the possibilities of finding an equity partner for NCZ once the operational problems currently being faced at NCZ are resolved.
Is there nowhere else NCZ can source funding from? We are in the new era of economic management, why should companies still rely on govt funding in this day and age? It’s amazing things that Zedians!! The only things I hear from NCZ are unions and salary arriears and strikes! My God! Is this an enterprise or something to provide employment with? I just wish someone can do something better with NCZ.
This is what happens when the leadership has interests only in prosperity of self. These are the politicians killing facilities such as this one which is a part of the new backbone of our economy agriculture. MMD government has failed us.
Ba Banda is Zambia stable then?
mWAUNFWA BANE IFYO A BANTU MESU BALECHULA. AT THE SAME TIME MMD ARE BOASTING TO HAVE DONE WELL ECONOMICALLY ON THE OTHER HAND THEY CANT MAINTAIN THE INGINE OF OUR AGRICULTURE SUSTAINABLE TO SUPPORT MAIZE PRODUCTION AND ON THE OTHER HAND ZAMBIAN AIRWAYS IS FALLING APART AND THEN THEY ARE SAYING THAT THEY HAVE NO CAPACITY TO PRINT THE BALOT PAPERS, AND THEY ALSO STARTED SOLICITING FOR MONEY FROM BANKS TO SUPPORT THE FUNERAL OF LPM AND THEN WE HEAR THAT THEY WANTED TO CHICKEN OUT OF HOLDING PRESIDEMTIAL BI ELECTIONS BECAUSE OF MONEY. BUT THEN THEY INCREASED THEIR SALARIES. NOMBA KUTI TWA UNFWAPO CHINSHI? WHILE LOAD SHEDDING CONTINUES CONTINUE. WE WANT CHANGE!
RB sort out NCZ then we wil no that you can rule farmers .dont just marry yo grand daughters.Even mwanawasa failed on this one by keeping his legacy RB will also fail.
IS ZAMBIA STABLE MR RB? THIS SITUATION HAS BEEN GOING ON AT NCZ SINCE THE MMD CAME INTO POWER! MIIND YOU ITS POWER FOR THEM AND NOT LEADERSHIP. BA KK KNEW AT TIMES HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE COMPANIES, I STILL REMEMBER HIM COMING TO KAFUE TO VISIT NCZ, BATA, KTZ JUST TO MENTION A FEW. AND YOU JUST INCREASED YOUR SALARIES BANGWELE!COMEON KAFUE PEOPLE BE UNITED AND BRING THOSE BAKABOLALA INTO THE SPOTLIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTIONS. ALSO WE NEED A LOCAL RESIDENT FOR AN MP NEXT TIME. DON’T VOTE COZ YOU DRUNK HIS BEERS.
This NCZ is so old and delapidated. Just scrap it start again.
No funding from outside would support this pollution machine. When it produces fertelizer, all wildlife and fish are killed down river for miles.
Non of these leaders we have is brave enough to scrap it.
You can not polish a 2vee. Even if you polish it ,itstill remains a 2vee.
This is discouraging for our farmers. Govt what are u doing on this one. No i have enough points noy to vote for the MMD. People lets vote the MMD out. Howelse can one think of them when they only think of increasing their salaries as if they are technocrats . LT why this frustrating ” you are posting to quickly when am clicking slowly”
who is responsible for this, from now on managers if there is a problem inform the nation within 90 days of the beginning of the problem, we need transparency
iwe SHUSHUSHU,uli shushushu zoona. Wansekensha, but don’t you know that there is what they call COST BENEFIT RATIO and Environmental Impact Assessment.
Lets build a modern plant, pleease.
Why is that everything here in Zambia is old. Just yesterday we were talking about the power generating plant which is old. We can only play football in Chililabombwe because independence stadium is old. Fuel is expensive because the refinery is old, it can only process crude oil from the middle east.
OLD, OLD, OLD Now we about to vote for an old president..WHY???
NCZ has more workers than necessary.If not mistaken,it’s only the fertiliser section that is operational.The other workers from sections just report in the morning and go drinking all day waiting for salaries.Where on earth does one get a free salary?Lay them off and recapitalise the fertiliser plant.Otherwise the problem of salary arrears will never end.
Im too upset to comment, because i know who is to blame, but if i say it people will say i am being Tribal
Jesus! for God’s sake ba MMD pliz dont fail us. we can not afford to buy maize from outside. you dont have to think about this one just act now. its orede september my God even you the watever managers where were you reporting this now.
this thieves want to import so that they get a share. if they fail this month change government the other party will do something b4 it expires. Gart golden valley how far have you gone with the organic research? for how long will you do research en not apply. you have heard. now go teach farmers b4 we die of preventable artificial hunger
NCZ just needs proper re-engineering and reorganisation. The many number of employees, most of them irrelevant are the ones increasing to the number of problems. It may not be very difficult to run NCZ if you have innovative managers. Why is NCZ always asking for recapitalisation? Where is the money they make from the fertilisers they have been selling? Why arent they manufacturing Nitrogen? If the thing is making losses, then its a drain,shut it down and use the space for something profitable! This is not the era of Service, its for economic development not drain!
Chengelo alumnui.pliz go head,i hav an ideal hu u wil mention,bt truly ths issue startd way bk..wnda why it hasnt bn pvtsd?
Oh for F`s sake Insight! Tell me how Zambians have benefited by privatising companies?
That is the legacy Mwanawasa left and people are singing about. RB is also going to continue this legacy of failing to run companies. Shame, shame mmd,
Just vote MMD out because they have failed in several ways.
People of Zambia, it is straight here that most of the pipo want change, why should we contradict each other. we want change, we want change, we want change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
government agricultural policy
start importing maize from neighbouring countries.
NCZ has been a problem since it was constructed in the Kaunda era. It is badly designed. You can pump in as much money as you like in this bottomless hole nothing will change. The Kaunda regime made a mistake in the design. The only solution to this problem is to sale it as scrap. Let the private sector build a new factory. No strategic partner worth his salt will invest in such hopeless venture.
u uka votela MMD mwana wandoshi, tusokone tusokone tusokone
Do you know who the board chairman for NCZ is? It is LUKE MBEWE( ZEGA CEO). He is also the board chairman for ZDA but has fail lamentably to represent NCZ to find a buyer or equity partner through his other instistution (ZDA) that prommotes investment. Mbewe was alos the Board chair for ZPA. Allas the man does not even what to associated with NCZ. Just imagine he did not even put a condoloses message for Mwanawasa using NCZ but did so using ZDA. How can governement help you with such a chairman who cannot take the responsibilities of failure. Shame . he must be fired.
No 24 THE MAN. you are very right luke mbewe is wrong choice fro a board chair. you need forceful personalities like Constain Chilala to win government favour. not tukapepala who depend on salaries and allowances and work under the armpits of boores. Imagine that board has likes of glyne michelo. what can that dull chap bring to the table. the boy can even analyse issues. He only reads what has been prepared for him. Information has it that he failed several time at school. big shame
Whereas I agree that government should not be the financier for NCZ or indeed any other parastatal, I stll believe govt has an obligation to recapitalise ncz before leaving them to fend for themselves. It is a viable entity and if govt could guarantee it business by buying its output before contracting Niombo to bring Fertiliser for the subsidised farmers from outside, there is no reason why NCZ can not compete. NCZ is like that because of the politicians interest in companies like Niombo so they would rather deal with it than with NCZ where they will not benefit. I am still at a loss as to this LEVY LEGACY is all about coz all I see is unresolved issues like NCZ, KTZ, UBZ to mention a few!
I CANNOT AGREE MORE WITH #26, HE SOUNDS A THINKING BEING, EVEN IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, LETS NOT BE CHEATED, GOVT HAS A HAND IN BUSINESS AND FOR ZAMBIA NCZ IS SUPPOSE TO BE SUCH BUSINESS. HOW CAN WE PROMOTE AGRI WITHOUT PROMOTING THE INDUSTRIES THAT FEED INTO THE SAME? BELIV U ME,U CANNOT PROMOTE AGRI ON IMPORTED FRTILIZER. PRESIDENTIAL BY ELECTION WILL CHEW MORE MONEY THAN NCZ NEEDS, SO ONE CAN SEE THAT IT IS JUST A QUESTION PRIORITY & FOCUS. GOVT CAN SAVE THE DEMISE OF NCZ, THAT I KNOW, BUT YOU NEED SOME ONE SERIOUS IN THE DRIVERS SIT.POOR ZAMBIA!!MAYBE WE SHOULD HAND OURSELVES OVER TO THE CLONIAL MASTERS FOR GUIDANCE.
PARASTATALS HAVE BEEN ABANDONED IN THIS ERA AS THEY DEPEND ON HOW CORRUPT THE PS OR MINISTER IS.
GRZ should leave this bussiness in the hands of the Private Sector. The Malawian Govt has partnered with a Chinese Firm to produce Fertilizer cheaply. Atleast us in Chipata have benefited from this Malawi Fertilizer.
Business is best done by Bussinessmen, not chaps appointed by GRZ worsestill, chaps from Ministry of Agric whose interest is only to steal FSP fertilizer. Let’s have progress.
Bane let us for-go the costly Presidential by-elections. I concur with FEDEPA. Get K100 billion and rehabilitate NCZ. We need agriculture to run smoothly in our country.
Bring the expetriates back who used to work for the company in 1970’s
They were the best to run the company.The company used to make good bussiness.Those were golden days.
Even if you dont pay them but just provide them with accomadation and food that would be worth