By CHATULA KANAGALI –
THE Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) is in talks with some firms in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to export 3,000 tonnes of Compound D fertiliser.
Marketing and public relations manager Evans Mupeta said in an
interview that the company was negotiating with the retailers in the
DRC on the price of fertiliser.
“We received a request from some retailers from the neighbouring DRC
to supply 3,000  tonnes of Compound D fertiliser, we are currently negotiating  with  them  on the price, once  we conclude, the fertiliser will be exported  to the DRC,” he  said.
Mr Mupeta  said that the company was  this year increasing its production of fertiliser  to meet  the growing demand on  both the local and  international market.
He said  that  the  company was  this  year targeting to  produce 200,000  tonnes  of  Compound  D out of which  about  92,000  tonnes  would be for  Government  for  the distribution  to  farmers  under the Farmers Input Support Programme (FSIP) .
He said the rest of the fertiliser would be sold to agro dealers and members of the public.
Mr  Mupeta  said that  the export of ammonium nitrate explosive grade  to the  DRC had  slowed  down  due  to the scaling  down of operations in mining  companies.
He said the company would continue to explore new markets in both Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
NCZ has exported mainly sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate explosive grade, nitric acid and other types of related products.
Meanwhile the  fertiliser  company  has so  far  distributed  more than 45,000  tonnes of  fertiliser to  farmers  under FISP across the country.
Mr Mupeta said the company had delivered the fertiliser to Northern, Muchinga, Luapula, Central and Copperbelt Provinces.
He said the exercise was on course and would finish before the September 30 2016 deadline.