Zambia China Mulungushi Textiles has urged farmers in Kabwe and surrounding areas to consider planting sunflower this season, as the company is ready to purchase their produce at competitive prices.
Mulungushi Textiles General Manager Brigadier General Emmanuel Simenti says the textile company is prepared to buy all the sunflower that farmers can produce.
Mr Simenti said this in an interview with ZANIS in Kabwe.
“We are offering K8 per kilogram, meaning a 50 kilogram bag is worth K400, which is a strong incentive for farmers to sell to us,” he said.
Although Mr Simenti noted that next year’s price will depend on market conditions after the harvest, he assured that the textile will adjust its offer to remain competitive.
“The price may change after we assess the market next year, but we aim to offer a price that will attract farmers,” he added.
And smallholder farmers in Kabwe’s Kafulamase area, such as Jacob Mwiinde, Janet Moomba, and Joseph Nawa, are already preparing their fields to plant sunflower, driven by the crop’s lower input costs and market demand.
Mr Mwiinde explained that sunflower requires fewer inputs compared to maize, making it a more affordable option.
“Farming maize is becoming too expensive with the rising costs of fertilizers and pesticides. Sunflower is cheaper and easier to manage,” he said.
Janet Moomba highlighted the growing market demand, particularly from Mulungushi Textiles.
“For the past two years, Mulungushi Textiles has been a reliable buyer of my sunflower. Despite last season’s drought, I still made a profit, and the K8 per kilogram rate is very competitive,” Moomba said.
She added that diversifying into sunflower has allowed her to maintain a stable income.
Joseph Nawa, another smallholder farmer, emphasized the crop’s resilience to changing weather patterns.
“Sunflower is more drought-tolerant than maize, which is important now that the rains are becoming unpredictable,” Nawa explained.
Meanwhile, Provincial Meteorological Officer Chongo Tembo has also advised farmers to time their planting carefully.
With Kabwe having received only 43 mm of rainfall since the start of the season, Mr Tembo recommended that farmers wait until the third week of November to plant maize, when moisture levels are expected to improve.
However, he noted that farmers planting drought-resistant crops such sunflower can begin to plant.
As the rainy season progresses, farmers in Kafulamase and across Central Province are looking to sunflower as a profitable and resilient crop, supported by a ready market at Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles.
