Zambia: Farmers struggle with rising costs

Farmers in Zambia are struggling to cope with rising costs, and agricultural output is falling off sharply.

In Zambia, agriculture is a crucial economic activity providing both much-needed food, export income, and employment for 85 percent of the labor force, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Zambia George Okechi said in an  interview with Anadolu Agency on Monday.

“But the industry is facing a series of challenges. Rising costs, lower commodities prices, and uneven development are all reducing output sharply,” Okechi said.

Okechi said that the Zambian government must adopt measures to address the challenges or the agriculture industry will be in serious jeopardy.

Zambian National Farmers Union (ZNFU) President Evelyn Nguleka told Anadolu Agency in an interview that higher production costs will not only negatively affect the agricultural sector in 2015/16 season and beyond but also make the industry uncompetitive. The devaluation of the kwacha, which has lost about 25 percent of its value against the dollar this year, has made fertilizer virtually unaffordable for farmers in the country.

“Zambia has unimaginable opportunities for food production, but if nothing is done to reduce the cost of fertilizers, we should expect the production of maize – the key crop -- to drop by half the amount in the 2014/15 harvest,” Nguleka said.

Zambian Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda blamed the high cost of fertilizer for its inadequate use in the country, a practice that led to the poorer harvest. Speaking at the first annual meeting of the East and Southern Africa Fertilizer Trade Platform on Sept. 15, Lubinda said that fertilizer usage in sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest in the world with an average of eight to ten kilograms (17.6 to 22 pounds) per hectare compared with over 200 kilograms (441pounds) per hectare in other parts of the world.

Nguleka proposed that farmers increase yields by diversifying into poultry, dairy and livestock farming. They could also cultivate other crops including wheat, sugar, soybeans, cotton, sunflower seeds, sorghum, cassava or tobacco. Some private investment has supported this diversification, but more public and private funds are needed if Zambian farmers are to make the transition, he said.

“In the process of increasing the agricultural production, farmers face numerous challenges, including lack transportation, communication and sometimes storage facilities and the ability to market their products,” Nguleka said.

According to the FAO, only about 32 percent of arable land in Zambia is under cultivation. Increasing support for farming offers a viable means for the country to increase its exports, supplementing its main export, copper, for which demand is declining.