Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

THE country’s sole Ammonium Nitrate (AN) fertiliser producer, Sable Chemicals, says it is battling to meet rising demand for fertiliser as more farmers seek the product to boost their yields.

With heavy rains pounding the country since January, there has been a high demand for top dressing to save the maize crop from water logging.

The Kwekwe-based company signed an MoU with the Government to supply 60 000 tonnes of AN fertiliser for the 2020-2021 summer cropping period.

Fertiliser is in high demand this year with good rains pushing Zimbabwe towards a record harvest as more fields need the nitrogen top dressing.

Sable Chemicals chief executive officer, Mr Bothwell Nyajeka, said the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted negatively on the production of fertiliser, especially on the supply of key raw materials.

“As Sable Chemicals we have been failing to meet demand for AN fertiliser mainly due to Covid-19 lockdown, which saw delays in the supply of raw materials used in the production of the fertiliser,” he said.

However, the company has attributed failure to supply AN fertiliser to the market to Covid-19-induced lockdown and inadequate foreign currency. The company is now looking at importing the product to cover the gap.