NCZ on course to produce government's FISP order
NITROGEN Chemicals of Zambia(NCZ) has produced half of the 20,000 tonnes of the D compound fertiliser contracted by Government under the farmers input support programme (FISP) for the next farming season. NCZ chief executive officer Richard Soko said the company had so far produced 10,000 tonnes of fertiliser under the Government’s subsidised inputs programme.
Mr Soko said although the production had started at a slow pace due to some difficulties the company was facing, the remaining 10,000 tonnes were expected to be completed in the next two weeks.
The Government has this year contracted NCZ to supply 20,000 tonees of D compound fertiliser while Nyiombo Investments and Omnia will provide urea fertiliser under the same programme. Mr Soko said the company would fulfill its obligation by ensuring that the inputs were available on time.
NCZ currently faces serious financial constraints and was left out of the Government’s contract to supply farmers’ inputs after being declared incapable for the challenge.
But the Government recently said the contract given to the company to produce 20,000 tonnes of fertiliser would gauge NCZ’s capability and efficiency for future contracts.
Meanwhile, Government has released K50 billion to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) for the crop marketing programme and all the farmers who have so far delivered their crops will be paid this week.
And the agency has confirmed that some districts have run out of empty grain bags because of the increased rate at which farmers were delivering maize and rice to the various depots.
FRA executive director Anthony Mwanaumo said in a statement the Government had released the K50 billion which was part of the K100 billion allocated to the agency in this year’s national Budget.
[Times of Zambia]
In the News – One article of positive importance selected from the newspapers or other publications reproduced in full to show the gains recorded by Government under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Zambia.
