Cut in transport costs to benefit small-scale farmers

A cut in transport costs is expected to boost agricultural production in Zambia, but union officials have urged the government to do more to ease the burdens of small-scale farmers.

Agriculture and Co-operatives Permanent Secretary Sam Mundia confirmed on Thursday that Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) had agreed to offer reduced rates for farmers as part of ongoing efforts to bolster national agricultural production.

"This was a deliberate move on the part of the agricultural ministry and we are pleased that the RSZ has ceded to our request. Many small-scale farmers were finding that they could not afford the tariffs which accompanied the transportation of their crops to the markets. In some cases, these farmers would end up producing much more than they could consume or sell in local markets, and then find they are stuck with the surplus because of the lack of funds," Mundia explained.

The appeal to RSZ to offer preferential rates to small-scale farmers was part of an "agricultural support package" that included subsidised agricultural inputs.

"Over the past two seasons we have seen an increase in crop yield, which can be attributed to the assistance provided to peasant farmers. The support is part of the government's overall strategy to tackle poverty in the rural areas," said Mundia.

After a failed harvest in 2002 left an estimated 2.3 million people in need of food aid, Zambian agriculture has bounced back and is exporting some of its surplus maize.

Zambia's National Farmers' Union (ZNFU) welcomed the RSZ offer to cut the cost of transporting produce to market, but said there were still "outstanding" issues that hampered small-scale farming.

"The increase in diesel has made it hard for smaller farmers to cope, and this offer from the railways will really help the more vulnerable farmers, but we still are asking for the government to either scrap or standardise the grain levy," the ZNFU deputy executive director, Ndambo Ndambo, told IRIN.

Local farmers who wanted to sell maize in other municipal markets were expected to pay a fee to the authorities. "The fees aren't standardised and, at times are quite high, so farmers are discouraged from expanding," Ndambo said.

He noted that some Zambian municipalities were largely rural and dependent on revenue from agriculture.