Commerce Minister Mulenga advocates local production of urea fertilizer to boost economy

Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Chipoka Mulenga has called for local production of urea fertilizers to conserve local resources.

Speaking during a business seminar at the ongoing Zambia International Trade Fair on Thursday, Mulenga stated that making urea available domestically was crucial for reducing input costs, thereby lowering the price of mealie meal in the country.

“We need to establish an industry to produce urea fertilizer to cushion the cost of fertilizer on the local market and we are focused on making policies aimed at supporting the manufacturing industry for value addition,” he said.

Mulenga mentioned that the Ministry would soon initiate an investigation to determine the factors driving up the price of D Compound fertilizer despite increased local production by United Capital Fertilizer.

He also urged small and medium enterprises to take advantage of government’s efforts to unlock various sectors of the economy, including mining and agriculture.

Ndola District Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Joseph Malisawa, called for a capacity-building meeting to orient government procurement officers about the existing policy that requires 75 percent of procurements to be contracted locally.

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