Small scale farmers in Chief Tungatis Chiefdom in Luwingu district in Northern Province says the construction of a bulking centre in the area has ensured a secure storage for their crops. Fikonkonta Marketing Centre Secretary, Sylvester Kamfwa, says small scale farmers previously…

Small scale farmers in Chief Tungatis Chiefdom in Luwingu district in Northern Province says the construction of a bulking centre in the area has ensured a secure storage for their crops.

Fikonkonta Marketing Centre Secretary, Sylvester Kamfwa, says small scale farmers previously lacked a secure storage and central trading area.

He told the media in an interview in Luwingu district that the construction of fikonkonta marketing centre with support from World Vision Zambia has made it easy for the farmers to secure their farm produce.

“We used to have challenges with storage of crops, some farmers used to make post-harvest losses but now we have a secure storage facility,” Mr Kamfwa explained.

He added that the 10 000 capacity storage has made it easy for farmers to have a uniform price of crops which are on sale.

“Before the construction of this bulking centre, farmers would keep their produce in their homes and would sell their crops at different prices but now, we normally set prices for specific crops,” Mr Kamfwa added.

Meanwhile, Mercy Ngosa, a small-scale farmer, said the construction of the centre has motivated more women to venture into farming.

She said the use of scales to price products enables farmers to get an income which is equal to their input.

“As women, we feel motivated to work hard and produce enough because we now see the benefit that comes with farming, we have a storage facility making it easy to ensure our crops are safe,” she explained.

Ms Ngosa has, however, appealed to government to link the bulking centre with ready markets such as schools and hospitals.

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