Govt has said new land rates were a mistake - ZNFU

05 March 2010, The Post
URL: http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=6615

Lusaka:  The Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has said the government has responded to the union's reaction over the increase of land rates by nearly 1,000 per cent by the operation of Statutory Instrument No. 110.

According to ZNFU president Jervis Zimba, the government has said the new land rates were a mistake.  Zimba said the government has also requested ZNFU to give the Ministry of Lands time to rectify the error after consulting the other relevant government ministries.

He advised farmers not pay any land rates until the alleged anomaly was rectified. The recent increase of land rates by nearly 1,000 per cent by the Ministry of Lands had shocked the farming community.

Less than two years ago, the ministry increased the land rates by between 500-600 per cent.  This was done through the issuance of the Statutory Instrument No. 44 of 2006 under the lands Act CAP 184 (Ground Rent, Fees and Charges) of the Laws of Zambia which came into effect on February 13, 2007.

Zimba said the increase caused a lot of difficulties for farmers of all sizes to meet the land rate payment obligations.