Develop Luapula salt pans - HH
By NATION REPORTER UPND LEADER Hakainde Hichilema says it is unfortunate that Zambia has continued to import salt despite having salt pans in Luapula Province.
“There are salt pans in Chiengi, Luapula Province, yet all the salt sold in shops is imported,” Mr Hichilema said.
In his Africa Freedom Day Message, Mr Hichilema noted that a salt industry in Luapula would help increase the GDP of that province from the 2% that it contributes currently to Zambia’s overall economy.
“This rural economy would help in empowering and employing rural dwellers and stem the worrying trend of rural to urban migration,” he said.
“In Brazil the açai berry found in the Amazon rainforest was commercialised in the 1990s. By 2016 it had become a half billion dollar industry which saw more than 300,000 tonnes of açai berry products sold globally to be used in pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries. Why can’t we emulate Brazil’s innovations? What other uses could our local fruits and berries, masuku, mpundu, ifisongole and masau have? Let us be innovators and not just consumers,” he said.
Mr Hichilema attributed the economic challenges facing Zambia to alleged failures by the leaders.
“When negotiating for independence, our founding fathers refused to buckle under the pressure to pay a punitive £50 million royalties to British South African Company who owned mineral rights in Zambia, instead they offered £2million as a goodwill gesture. Can this stance be taken by today’s government?” he asked.