Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) has assured farmers that high fuel price will not affect fertilizer prices this year.
NCZ Public Relations Manager Changwe Mupeta who is also Marketing Manager at NCZ has urged farmers to be calm as fuel prices go up because it will have no bearing on the price of fertilizer during the forth- coming farming season.
“For this particular season, fertilizer with respect to the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), the contract is already signed and sealed meaning there is nowhere, the price of fertilizer will be increased,” said Mr Mupeta.
He emphasized that prices would increase only for the commercial products and not fertilizer.
Meanwhile, a small scale famer, Keala Silombo in Muchinga province has expressed concern over the food and fuel prices which have risen of late.
“If major components like fuel have been hiked up it means other sectors will be affected, fertilizer included” said Mr Silombo.
He said fuel plays a major role in any nation as far as transportation is concerned adding that when fuel prices go up, this means that even the people taking mealie meal in far places will increase their transport fees.
Mr Silombo said that when the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) hikes fuel prices, transporters of fertilizer will increase their prices as well.
