By JOHN SAKALA
FDD President Edith Nawakwi says Lubumbashi is a big market for every agricultural grain but Zambia has failed to exploit the market.
Making special appearance on ZNBC’s Sunday Interview this evening August 30, 2020, Ms Nawakwi said Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo has over 11 million people who depend on grain from Zambia.
She said that instead of looking at the Congolese as smugglers, it is high time Zambia turn the high grain demand into a big business opportunity.
“They buy evey grain starting from maize, wheat, rice, beans, soya, sorghum, mention any grain. What we need to do is for the northern part of Zambia which is Copperbelt, North-Western, Luapula, Northern, Muchinga and Eastern provinces to plan with Lubumbashi in mind.
“At the moment agriculture is our main stay because the mines are in the private hands. Let us work with the farmers by prompting them to have grain for food security at household level and for cash security,”
Ms Nawakwi called on all political leaders to sit around the table and pollinate each other with ideas on how to improve liquidity of the country.
She said in the past 30 years the country has focused so much on monetary policy which focuses mainly on money.
Ms Nawakwi echoed Wynter Kabimba’s words where the duo feel there is need to wean farmers under the Farmer Input Support Program.
