Oilseeds stakeholders, including the Grain Traders Association of Zambia (GTAZ), the Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ), the Dairy Association of Zambia (DAZ), the Crushers of Edible Oils and Refiners Association (CEDORA) and the ZNFU, met on 26th May 2022 at the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) in Lusaka for a consultative meeting on soybeans marketing during the 2022 marketing window. They unanimously agreed to export 100, 000 metric tonnes of soya beans resulting from increased production.

The stakeholders based this rationale on the announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) that the country’s estimated production of soya beans was pegged at 475 353 Mt in the 2021/2022 farming season.

The stakeholders hence resolved that domestic utilisation will be as follows:

  •  230  000 Mt of soya beans will be utilised in the manufacturing of feed and other animal protein, and
  • 50 000 Mt will be utilised in the manufacturing of food for human consumption, bringing the total domestic requirements to 280 000 Mt.

This would leave a total of 195  353 Mt of soya beans available on the market. The stakeholders recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture:

  1. Allow for the allocation of 100 000 Mt of soya beans for export through the Grain Traders Association of Zambia (GTAZ). This will allow the traders to participate in soya beans marketing and venture into the export market, which will in turn be of benefit to the entire value chain and is key to future expansion of soya beans production.
  2. Allow for the allocation of 95 000 Mt for soya meal/cake to the Crushers of Edible Oils and Refiners Association (CEDORA). This will allow the Refiners to export soya cake while stock feed processors lock in their domestic requirements.

The stakeholders have since submitted the resolutions to the Ministry of Agriculture for implementation.

Source: Zambia National Farmers’ Union