ZAMBIA Railways to haul 50,000 tonnes of fertiliser

ZAMBIA Railways Limited (ZRL) has agreed to haul at least 50,000 tonnes of fertiliser from local and international suppliers for onward distribution to small-scale farmers under the 2014/2015 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

ZAMBIA Railways head of corporate affairs Benson Ngula said from Lusaka that, the company was ready to commence the process, targeting mostly farmers in Southern, Central and the Copperbelt provinces.

“This year, ZAMBIA Railways Limited  has agreed to move 50,000 tonnes of Urea and Compound-D fertiliser from all suppliers to farmers along the line of rail and this process is ready for commencement,” Mr Ngula said.

He said the delivery process was expected to be completed in August and part of the commodity that will be imported, will be transported through the port of Beira.

In a related development, Mr Ngula said the railway firm was lobbying for tenders to haul substantial amounts of tobacco from Eastern Province via the Nacala Corridor to the Great Lakes Region.