Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Government has warned of a looming food crisis in Zambia as a result of the Russia -Ukraine war if urgent measures are not found and put in place by all stakeholders to counter the impact.
Officiating at a stakeholder discussion forum dubbed “the impact of Ukraine/Russia conflict on Zambia’s food security” agriculture minister Reuben Phiri says government is seriously concerned over the looming food crisis that Zambia might face and the general impact that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will have on the country’s agriculture sector and national food security.
Mr. Phiri bemoans that the impact of the war on the country’s agriculture sector and food security is already manifesting through the increasing produces of edible oils and essential agriculture inputs such as fertilizer.
Mr. Phiri laments that spikes in fertilizer prices will affect treasury allocations to the agriculture sector and increase the cost of production by farmers leading to the increase in the cost of food and thereby increasing the number of people who will face hunger.
He has since called on all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to help find urgent solutions to the impact that the Ukraine war is likely to have on Zambia’s food situation.
Meanwhile Mr. Phiri has called on local investors to venture into fertilizer production adding that Zambia has abundant natural resources used in the manufacturing of the commodity which can be a solution to the current issue.
The minister has also pleaded with local commercial farmers in the country to return to maize farming.
Mr. Phiri says the decline in the number of Commercial farmers from growing the crop for a number of years now due to export control measures instituted during the previous Government is of great concern.
The Agriculture Minister has since reassured the Commercial farmers that the policy has changed and the current government will never force policies on them that it knows will affect their operations even in difficulty times adding that all borders will remain open.
And IAPRI chief executive officer Chance Kabaghe is confident that the discussion forum which has attracted stakeholders from across the sector will come up with solutions on how Zambia will counter the impacts of the war and avoid a national food crisis.