CASSAVA FARMERS NOT HAPPY WITH THE FLOOR PRICE
Written by Millennium on September 24, 2019
SUN BUSINESS REPORTER writes
@SunZambian
CASSAVA farmers in Mansa have regretted the low floor price of the tuber that is being offered in this year’s marketing season.
One of the concerned farmers, Juliet Mwansa, of Chief Chisuka’s Chiefdom, said farmers were not happy to be selling their cassava crop at between K 1.00 to K 1.30 per kilogramme.
Ms Mwansa said that the price was far too low considering what farmers went through when growing the crop.
She explained that there was a lot involved in growing the commodity and the best a farmer can expect is a good price.
“The price this year is very demotivating unlike in the last year’s marketing season when they were able to sell at K 1.40 a kilo,
“Cassava farmers are hoping for something to be done to improve on the price of the crop if farmers are to make a bit of profit from their produce,” Ms Mwansa said
And another farmer, Mr Lawrence Mwila from Matanda area said government should come up with a standard price for cassava.
He said that if that was done, it would bring about uniformity in the cassava market as all the companies would buy the crop at the same price.
Mr Mwila pointed out that with the current situation, cassava farmers would not be able to benefit as they would be selling their cassava as low as K 1.00 per kilogramme, which he said is not fair.
He said that the issue of price had been talked about for a long time and it was high time that something was done to help cassava farmers in Luapula Province at large.
Mr Mwila said that survival of most people in the province depended on cassava farming hence the need fr the crop to be given a better price.