• Local production is low; even now there is short supply on the local market.
• Ministry of Agriculture working with Cooperating partners have been trying to help farmers with storage facilities
• The farmers Union and other stakeholders agreed to import 1, 350 metric tonnes of Onion.

Minister of Agriculture has attributed the shortage of Onion on the local market to low production by farmers.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Money FM News, Michael Katambo stated that whenever local production is low, such shortages are bound to happen.
Mr. Katambo explained that few weeks ago, government banned the importation of Onion and Potatoes because of indications from the farmers union that the country was able to meet local demand but only to find that the commodity is on demand due to high consumption.
He said the country has a shortage of about 1, 350 metric tonnes, hence the need to import.
“The Local production is low, when production is low, then we experience something of that kind. Even now there is short supply on the local market.”
“We had an indication, the farmers Union said we had enough onion but only to find that there’s a lot of consumption of Onion so it’s quite on demand. We have a shortage of about 1, 350 metric tonnes, so we can now have that importation,” Mr. Katambo said.
And Mr. Katambo disclosed that the Ministry in collaboration with Cooperating partners has been trying to help farmers with storage facilities, while the Food Reserve Agency has also contracted a company that is constructing the facilities across the country.
“The Ministry of Agriculture working with Cooperating partners such as the World Bank, JICA, and others have been trying to help our farmers with storage facilities. And under the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), there’s some company which has been contracted to also construct storage facilities across the country in about 79 sites,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, Mr. Katambo said the Farmers Union and other stakeholders in the Agriculture sector recently agreed to import 1, 350 metric tonnes of Onion.
“There was a stakeholders meeting, the farmers Union and other stakeholders in the industry agreed to import 1, 350 metric tonnes of Onion, so it’s up to those traders who are interested in importing that will be allowed to import the Onion in the country,” Mr. Katambo added.
Recently, Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association of Zambia President Bernard Sikunyongana called on government to support local farmers with storage facilities because they have the capacity to produce Onion on a large scale.
Mr. Sikunyongana however attributed the shortage of Onion on the market to delays by government to issue permits for importation of the commodity.