By CASSEY KAYULA –
THE National Union for Small-scale Farmers of Zambia (NUSFAZ) says the local small scale farmers have the capacity to meet the quality and consistency required in the delivery of vegetables to supermarkets if grouped.
NUSFAZ executive director Frank Kayula said small scale farmers in Zambia when well organised have the capacity to meet the local demand by supplying all the major supermarkets in the country with quality products.
He said this in an interview in Lusaka recently.
“By the nature of their size, small scale farmers cannot supply the huge quantities required by the major supermarkets in the country,” he said.
Dr Kayula said other chain-stores should emulate Food Lover market which has taken the leading role in providing small scale farmers with a market for their produce.
He said that NUSFAZ organised a market for the farmers with Food Lovers and was ready to do so for other interested chain-store owners.
“We organise farmers into groups to enable them to feed these farmers in groups since they will ensure quantity and the consistency in supply that the chain stores require,” he said.
Dr Kayula said the fact that small scale farmers supply 90 per cent of the maize bumper harvest in Zambia is proof enough of the potential the sector has to contribute to the fruits and vegetable sector in the country.
Recently Food Lovers market announced that they import over 80 per cent of the fruits they stock from South Africa due to limited production by local farmers.