Wed, 14 Jun 2017 10:02:14 +0000 By BENNIE MUNDANDO PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu says the importation and smuggling of edible oils into the country has had a devastating impact on the soya bean market and that loopholes must be sealed to protect local farmers. The President said in Mkushi yesterday that there has been too much liberalisation in the importation of edible oils and that the smuggling of the commodity into the country has had devastating effects on local soya bean farmers and that government and stakeholders needed to devise ways of sealing all the loopholes to protect the local market. And President Lungu has maintained that he would ensure that Zambia becomes Africa’s food basket before he leaves office by ensuring that responsive policies in the agriculture sector were put in place to help the country actualise its potential unlike the current situation where farmers were producing at only five percent of their capability. […]
