Zambia is losing regional markets for soya because of delayed issue of export permits and accompanying documents by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Food Security (IMCFS).

At a recent meeting of oilseed stakeholders, exporters complained about the length of time it took to process and receive the necessary documents from the IMCFS for export. The latest ZNFU (Zambian National Farmers’ Union) brief said only small volumes of Zambian soya products had reached regional markets, despite the season’s record harvests.

During the meeting, participants said the current estimated stock of 223 412 tons of soya would satisfy local needs for the 2016/17 marketing season. Industry collaborators called for more export opportunities.

Because there were sufficient stocks from the previous season, government should allow for exportation without restriction of 100 000 tons of soya beans, said the ZNFU.

Future soya surplus expected

The soya sector expected a surplus harvest in the coming season, because current high soya prices would attract more small- and medium scale farmers to plant additional land to soya for the next season, the ZNFU said.

One concern was the slowdown of exports to Zimbabwe after the announcement of several import restrictions. Zimbabwe has planned projects to revive its own oilseed industry.