KELLY NJOMBO, Lusaka
THE Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has lobbied Government to engage millers to consider reducing the price of stockfeed as the cost of maize, the main ingredient in feed production has dropped.
This follows calls by some poultry and dairy farmers on the Copperbelt for stockfeed price reduction.
According to the ZNFU Friday brief availed to the Daily Mail, the high cost of livestock feed has resulted in increase production cost for farmers with the commodity now fetching between K230 and K300 per 50 kilogramme bag.
“The ever-escalating cost of livestock feed has become a source of concern mainly among poultry and dairy farmers on the Copperbelt with many considering to halt production. The cost of production has become very high due to increased feed prices,”
“Some farmers complained about the lack of Government intervention to engage millers to consider adjusting the prices downwards, since the main ingredient [maize] in the feed formulation is locally-sourced,” ZNFU said.
The union notes that the use of cheap and readily available local feed resources has great potential to increase livestock productivity and income generation among small-scale farmers.
ZNFU says adequate supply of livestock feed is crucial to the livelihoods of millions of people across the country, not just for livestock smallholder farmers but also for pastoralists families that depend mainly on livestock production.