• Farmers must continue producing and spreading their produce across all markets and get into value addition.
• ZNFU is deeply concerned with the dumping of several fresh commodities.
• The dumping is being orchestrated and done by a few known farmers who are oversupplying
Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has urged farmers to continue producing and spreading their produce across all markets and get into value addition to avoid wastage of fresh commodities.
ZNFU Media and Public Relations Manager Calvin Kaleyi told Money FM News that the union is deeply concerned with the dumping of several fresh commodities, such as cabbages and tomatoes on the local market.
Mr. Kaleyi revealed that the dumping is being orchestrated and done by a few known farmers who are oversupplying the market on a daily basis which is causing a significant drop in commodity prices, resulting into many farmers producing at a loss.
He stated that the losses are hurting small scale and emergent farmers, some of whom are contemplating to stop production of fresh commodities.
“We are calling on the farmers involved in the disposing off of damaged tomatoes and vegetables to refrain from this vice as this is distorting the market and creating unfair competition.”
“The dangers of what is going on is that the small scale and emergent farmers will stop producing tomatoes, and in the event of these known farmers having a disease or any calamity on these hectares they have put in will result into the country importing tomatoes,” Mr. Kaleyi said.
Mr. Kaleye advised the farmers to take a leaf from the poultry industry where those with big volumes are in processing, while those with smaller numbers are selling live birds.
Some farmers who are growing massive hectares of tomatoes result into disposing off their products at Soweto, Copperbelt and Kasumbalesa markets due to oversupply and low demand of the commodity.
