Government says the Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) is meant to empower the vulnerable but potentially viable farmers who lost their crops due to recurrent adverse weather conditions.
Lusaka Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Conrad Tembo said government has dispatch about 720 metric tones of fertilizer to small scale farmers under the FSP in the province.
Mr. Tembo told ZANIS in an interview that the consignment was intended to benefit 14,400 peasant farmers in the province to enhance small scale farmers’ capacity to grow enough food for sale.
He has since called on the peasant farmers to take advantage of the good rainfall pattern to plant their crop for the 2008/2009 farming season and work hard to contribute to the national food basket.
He urged the private sector to also partner with government in addressing many challenges the country was facing.
He cited the soaring food prices and global oil prices as some of the problems that need the attention of everybody.
Mr. Tembo has also called for innovations and good policies that may address challenges of climate change and bio-energy in the agro sector.
He said government will continue to assist its citizens who lost their food crops due to adverse weather patterns.
He reiterated government’s commitment to achieving the objective of the FSP programme of reducing poverty among the households through increased food security and income generation.
He appealed to farmers to adopt conservation farming, especially practices that encourage efficient use of resources, soil fertility improvement and erosion control.
ZANIS/JT/KSH/ENDS
number 1 :-\”
why Lusaka province??
number 2 😕
Just make sure the fert goes to the intended people.
If the FSP is to continue, there needs to be an expansion of NCZ.
The fertilizer it currently produces is too little.
Most votes came from rural areas, leave those in Lusaka for PF die hards to sort out the fertiliser issues. Sorry, am not being political in here, just couldn’t resist….. :-?:-?:-?[-([-([-(:)>-:)>-#:-s**==**==**==**==**==
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Mr #2.
Its the whole country that will benefit but Lusaka minister has just a big mouth.
# 6
You are just okey. Feed your children first before you extend to the neighbours. cheers.**==**==**==**==@};-
#7,Cheers to you too.. =d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>**==**==**==**==
RB where are the 4,000 jobs you promised?
” He appealed to farmers to adopt conservation farming, especially practices that encourage efficient use of resources, soil fertility improvement and erosion control. ”
He shouldn’t be appealing to farmers, but to the government to supply professional agricultural services – education, support systems; and basically get all farmer stakeholders together – subsistence farmers, the NFU, marketeers, the ministries of agriculture, education, technology and vocational training, lands, local government; and hammer out a policy that turns subsistence farmers into medium scale commercial farmers on a consistent basis.
2. Cutey,
” why Lusaka province?? ”
Because it is the biggest city and they’re afraid of food riots; because the ministers will always think of their ministries and government first; because farmers there are closest to the capital of 2 million people.
This is the result of continuous concentration of power at the center of government. There has to be decentralization of budgets and responsibilities to the councils.