Yamba-Yamba urges farmers to exploit high global food prices

Yamba-Yamba urges farmers to exploit high global food prices
By Chibaula Silwamba
Tuesday April 29, 2008 [04:00]

AGRICULTURE expert Dr Christine Yamba-Yamba has urged Zambian farmers to take advantage of the high food prices on the world market to produce more food for export. Commenting on the high food prices on the world market, Dr Yamba-Yamba in an interview said Zambian farmers should produce more food for local consumption to counter the potential food crisis which is likely to affect Zambia and export the surplus.

“With high food prices, this is the right time to go into farming but somebody should go into it well informed,” Dr Yamba-Yamba said.

“There is need for farmers to seek information on food production and the produce or crops you want to produce.”

She advised that Zambians should go into farming as a business venture and not a way of life. Dr Yamba-Yamba observed that the high food prices were mainly due to the ever increasing prices of fuel on the world market which had hit US $ 119 per barrel. She said the other cause was prices of inputs that were going up.

“Yes subsidies are there but they are good and bad; they are good in the sense that they can kick start the production of the much needed food and get it into circulation but on the other hand, they are bad if people become dependent on subsidies; they are bad if they become part of the production line.”

She further said subsidies were bad if they distorted market forces. Dr Yamba-Yamba said there was need for farmers to start using alternative sources of energy if they were to continue producing more food despite fuel price increases and electricity deficits in Zambia.