Maravi

PF may not have a clear agric policy - consultant

PF may not have a clear agric policy - consultant
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Wed 28 Mar. 2012, 12:57 CAT

BUSINESS consultant Lawrence Chileshe has expressed concern that the PF government may not have a clear and progressive agriculture policy.

Commenting on agriculture minister Emmanuel Chenda's clarification on reports of imported chicken last week, Chileshe who is also former Chamber of Mines of Zambia assistant general manager, said the minister's statement did not refer to any PF policy on agriculture or particularly poultry, "and was not even convincing".

He said this had raised further concerns, especially considering that there had not been any significant application of policy change in the agriculture sector.

"Can it be interpreted that PF does not have a vision for agriculture in Zambia, or do we just need a revolutionary leader in the sector? Since the election (which is now six months), there has not been much policy indications in agriculture, except desires to promote different cash crops apart from maize. It is surprising that months after elections, there is no indication from the government on whether and how it will revise the Fertiliser Input Support Programme (FISP). My greatest fear is that we may not have a clear and progressive agriculture policy," he said.

Chileshe said the government in the past had allowed importation of turkeys and not chickens.

He wondered what economics the government applied in allowing importation of chickens, as it would negatively affect the growing local poultry sector.

"Even if we were to have a shortage of chickens in Zambia which I think can only happen to processed chickens, the process of importing would be cautiously done, and done so with consultation of stakeholders like ZNFU. In such exceptional circumstances, the quantity imported would only be to meet a short-fall and would be a very short-term measure or permit," he
said.

"However, it is surprising that the minister, Honourable Emmanuel Chenda, is claiming ignorance of having imported chickens in two chain stores. What is worse is that he made the ministerial statement without having adequate information, saying the imported chickens on the Zambian market may have been smuggled. Is he really on ‘top of things' at his ministry? Where is his permanent secretary and other technocrats? I fear we may need to broaden the corruption investigations to the current handling of operations (especially permits) at the Ministry of Agriculture."

He said the poultry sector has in the last decade been a serious source of employment and livelihood for many Zambians.

Chileshe said in Zambia, the agriculture sector provided the highest level of employment, much more than other sectors like mining.

He said if the PF government was to give permits for chicken importation, then the country would be better off in the MMD regime of Rupiah Banda who allowed the economy to run at ‘auto-pilot', but ensured that self-interests were gratified.

Chileshe said employment creation was not an easy task for any government in the world and in Zambia, the task was even tougher.

He said promoting agriculture would be an easier way of reducing unemployment and poverty levels.

"I therefore cannot understand why a government can allow the importation of chickens and risk the loss of jobs and increase poverty in Zambia. Such a move by the PF government can be said to be ‘the beginning of the end of their rule'. We have failed to establish a lot of primary or basic industries, which is a proven formula of any developing economy. I would therefore be left wondering why we would tamper with the little we currently have in the agriculture sector - in form of chickens," said Chileshe.

The government has since permanently revoked the sanitary permits issued to Shoprite for the importation of 75 metric tonnes of chicken, with Chenda saying the sanitary permit was granted by a junior management officer without consultation with his superiors.

Labels: AGRICULTURE, FISP, PF, POLICY

posted by MrK @ 5:39 PM