Small-scale farmers seek trading body

CONSULTATIONS with relevant stakeholders are on course to form a small-scale farmers marketing and trading association in the country to deal with marketing and pricing of crops, says Small Scale Farmers Development Agency (SAFADA) executive director Boyd Moobwe.

Mr Moobwe thanked President Lungu for listening to the farmer’s cries about the low maize price announced by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

He said the intervention should not be politicised but considered as a step taken by the Head of State to normalise the situation.

“We would like to commend the President, we feel the Food Reserve Agency should make a reasonable adjustment precisely not any less than K90 per 50kg as minimum price,” he said.

Mr Moobwe said measures to form a farmers’ trade union would only complicate the situation because SAFADA was already on the ground to consult small-scale farmers at district and provincial level and to obtain basic data which would be reviewed at the national small scale farmers’ general conference in 2019.

He said stakeholders should support SAFADA’s gesture which is aimed at finding a lasting solution to address the problem of marketing and trading of agriculture rural products and services.

“Small-scale farmers demand a well-organised and tabulated market place and marketing system with good economic incentives and social capacity building strategies,” Mr Moobwe said.

He said SAFADA was consulting the Zambia Commodity Exchange on possible measures to be taken to standardise the crop marketing system to serve the interests of small scale farmers better.