The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has praised government for initiating sound agricultural policies that have seen the country record a successive bumper harvest.
ZACA Assistant Executive Director Samuel Simutunda says the successive bumper harvest is testimony enough of government’s good agriculture policy.
Mr Simutunda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that his association is impressed with government’s pronouncement of a second but historic bumper harvest.
The ZACA Assistant Executive Director has since urged government to put in place measures to ensure no maize goes to waste.
“The big challenge now lies with government to provide enough storage space to safeguard the produce from going to waste. If we let the maize go to waste, we’ll be eroding the efforts small scale farmers have put in place to ensure we have a bumper harvest yet again”, he said.
He also appealed to government to improve the road infrastructure especially in rural areas for easy transportation of the maize to the markets.
And the ZACA Executive Director says there is need for government to come up with strategies that will ensure that consumers benefit from the bumper harvests that the country has been recording.
He said consumers have not really benefited from the subsidized maize that government is selling to millers because the millers have failed to respond favourably to government efforts to ensure consumers benefit from the country’s successes in the agriculture sector.
And Farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector are impressed that the country is headed for another record bumper harvest.
The farmers are confident that with government’s continued support, it is possible for the country to sustain the same path.
The Zambia National Farmers Union- ZNFU- says the bumper harvest shows that with government support farmers can respond positively in turning the country into the bread basket of the region.
ZNFU president Jervis Zimba has also congratulated farmers across the country for the bumper harvest which he says is a positive achievement.
He has also indicated that farmers expect smooth marketing arrangements following government’s assurance that it will buy off the entire crop across the country.
And the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection-JCTR says Mealie meal prices on the local market are expected to reduce following the three point two million metric tones of maize.
JCTR Social Conditions Programs Manager Miniva Chibuye says the surplus maize should steer millers to reduce the price of mealie meal.
Ms Chibuye has praised farmers in the country for recording another bumper harvest.
ZANIS
Anybody with the amount of rains that Zambia has had we would have delivered a bumper harvest. Nothing to
#1 thank you for teahing us something new … all one needs to have a bumper harvet is rains!
#1. Learn to give credit where it is due.Rains alone can not produce a bumper harvest. Ala muletasha!
@3 we also thank the almighty for giving us strength and energy to cultivate. Who else should we thank oh i see you mean the govt for giving each farmer three bags of fertiliser and for the peanuts they will get when they sale maize to them.
True PF Cadre @ 1 – So how come we used to produce so little during KK’s and Chiluba’s days? Now don’t say climate change you genius.
Government should organise for a thankgiving service to acknowledge that it is God Almighty who gave the favour for the good rains.All the honour to God first.Ceasar also deserves the credit for the good policies.
Like we said WELL DONE…. lets make Zambia the bread basket of SADC
Bakaponya abashitasha ala bana bandoshi. Balitipwa nolupato.
Bumper harvest but price of maize meal is ever increasing.How much is it now?K75,000/25Kg.