Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) Agri-Business Manager, Smart Banda, says government’s effort to reduce poverty levels in the district would be defeated because of its failure to deliver additional fertilizer.
Mr. Banda told ZANIS today that farmers in the district are bitter over government’s failure to deliver additional D-compound fertilizer, which, he described as an impediment to fighting poverty in rural areas.
He said the district was expected to receive 4000 bags of D-compound by January 1 this year but nothing was received because government has cancelled the contract to deliver more fertilizer.
“The company which was contracted by government to deliver subsidized fertilizer under the Fertilizer Support Programme has started selling the D-Compound at commercial price which most farmers have failed to buy,” Mr. Banda said.
He said the situation is worrying because at present there is no D-Compound being sold in the district apart from Urea which is being sold at K150,000 per 50kg bag.
‘’The D-Compound was also being sold at K150,000 per 50kg bag and most of our farmers cannot afford because they had already budgeted for the subsidized fertilizer,’’ he said.
He further said the delay would negatively impact on food security in the district as most of the crops would be destroyed due to lack of fertilizer.
Mr. Banda has since advised government to plan adequately for the Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) instead of waiting for farmers to ask for additional fertilizer.
Government, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives was supposed to deliver an additional 4,000 bags by 50 kg of D-compound and four 4,000 bags of 50kg of Urea in Kasempa district.
Meanwhile, Mr Banda has commended government for including again funds for the fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) in the 2008 national budget.
I perfectly agree with ZNFU. Agriculture is the main economic activity for most of Zambia´s poor people. Failure to facillitate farming for these masses would exercebate poverty. On the contrary, providing agricultural inputs on time would help alleviate poverty not only on the rural masses but to the country as a whole as the income realised by these farmers would create a multiplier effect that would also spread to other sectors of the economy. This therefore would stimulate economic growth. There is less manufacturing going on in Zambia therefore agriculture should be highly priotised if we are to achieve meaningful economic growth and development.
Why was the contract terminated? Who is the MP for the area? Constituents need to make sure that he addresses their concerns effectively. If not they should remove him. What fertilizer promises did he make prior to taking office This seems to be a very common feature. I know of farmers in Ndola who faced a similar situation. Something is not right and needs to be corrected.