Friday, March 29, 2024

Northern Province to ‘harvest’ K128bn from maize

Share

Farmers off-loading their maize at a Food Reserve Agency depot in Kabwe.

NORTHERN Province expects more than K128 billion in revenue from the sale of maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and the millers this year.

In the previous season, the province was able to generate K72 billion from the sale of maize to the agency and this year’s would represent over 75 per cent increase.

Provincial agriculture officer Conrad Muzela said in an interview that the FRA would procure 32 per cent of the maize from the farmers thereby contributing to economic growth of the province.

Northern Province produced 309,078 tonnes of maize for the 2009/2010 farming season.

“In terms of maize, we are feeding the nation and food basket is slowly shifting from Southern Province to Northern Province,” Mr Muzela said.

[pullquote]“In terms of maize, we are feeding the nation and food basket is slowly shifting from Southern Province to Northern Province,” Mr Muzela said.[/pullquote]

He said the K128 billion would be generated from FRA alone and there were also private buyers who were likely to push up the figure to more K100 billion.

He said the province was becoming self- sustainable because of the diversified crops that the farmers were producing thereby stimulating growth in the various sectors.

“We are now cultivating crops like sorghum, millet, sweet potatoes and groundnuts among others,” Mr Muzela said.

He also said Zambia was slowly being consumed by hybrid seeds hence the need for farmers to preserve the local seed.

“We are now encouraging farmers to utilise local seeds and repackage them for the next farming season as this will help maintain the local breed,” Mr Muzela said

[Times of Zambia]

23 COMMENTS

  1. I hope I would be able to live to see each and every child in this country have full and healthy three meals a day.

  2. All that money will go to air tickets and the carders on the blog will singing economical growth while the one’s that really cultivated go hungry day in day out.

  3. WARNING: Zambia should wise up and start STOCKING up on food. Things will get seriously worse with drastic changes in weather. I might just be an insect(Kadoyo) but am closer to the ground. Its HAPPENING!!!!

  4. Finally my Bemba people have stopped stealing and started putting their land to good use. I always knew we could outdo the Tongas anytime, any day, anywhere. Thanks for the collapse of the mines on the CB. The Copperbelt destroyed our reputation as a people. We have gone back to the land to show the whole country how it ought to be done. Lets let’s do it and even feed China and turn our province into a world food basket.

    DISCLAIMER: Am a Bemba and nobody else is allowed to call my people thieves unless you are either Bemba or our cousin from Eastern Province. Otherwise don’t start a tribal war on me, especially that chap meastro hehe ehehehe

  5. Dear armchair critic,

    Love it or hate it, The Banda administration policies at work. The intricacy of issues involved here is reflected in the fact that the National Poverty Eradication Programme of RB identifies agriculture and rural development as its primary area of interest.

  6. “NORTHERN Province expects more than K128 billion in revenue from the sale of maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and the millers this year.”

    This is great news. This is over K128 billion into the economy of Northern Province. This is surely great news.

    “He said the province was becoming self- sustainable because of the diversified crops that the farmers were producing thereby stimulating growth in the various sectors.”

    This is also great news. Diversification in any industry is good as it minimizes risk. Great news coming from Northern Province.

  7. If there is any success from RB, this is it; getting a bemba to grow maize. What a shock result, even Bembas are slowly becoming serious with agriculture. This has the potential to help them stop obsessing with stealing.

  8. The myth that our national lifeline has to remain mining must be challenged as failed intellectual idealism. Agriculture will empower the hard working masses thus deserve this support. The fact that all development has to begin from the bottom up cannot be overemphasized in the context of Zambia, where a farming boom can ensure not just food supply and exports but also provide industrial raw materials and a market for products. Here are the good policies of RB yet the winner are the farmers earning billions while giving the country much needed food security.The losers are clueless armchair critics and their utopia.

  9. GOOD AGRICULTURAL POLICY OF MMD IS YIELDING RESULTS. THIS IS A HUGE PLUS BCOS EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD A BAG OF OUR STAPLE FOOD ONLY THE LAZY WILL GO HUNGRY. IF BEMBAS CAN WORK HARD FOR ONCE WHY NOT TONGA BULLS

  10. Indisputably National food security is a baseline of national stability and agricultural expansion is critical to economic prosperity in the Banda national development master plan for a better Zambia for all, considering our national’s crippling poverty levels. It is RB who has been instrumental in driving the people of Luapula Province to diversify from fish to agricultural farming because fish has depleted in the region. And within his tenure of heavy investment we have seen the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute, under the Mansa Research Station, start developing cassava varieties which are resistant to diseases “Mansa scientists develop resistant cassava” LT Friday, August 6, 2010. The trend of such success is now national under the RB administration.

  11. Ba MMD kanyeleni ukutali people just received good rain this year thats all. Do not not too clever another By Erection is coming we shall see who will be ERECTED IF YOU LOSE THIS ONE THEN JUST KNOW THAT ITS TIME TO PACK AND GO

  12. My recommendation is based on a strategy that we focus on markets, private sector participation and research to drive a sustainable national food security in all provinces by next year. I’m glad that the initiatives of RB are restoring our self sufficiency. Here we are what were once rural staple and famine reserve foods like cassava and maize have become lucrative cash crops across the country! Of all provinces, Northern is joining national food baskets like central, southern and Eastern provinces. All this success is under the RB visionary leadership. Extraordinary leadership in RB for national prosperity beyond 2011!

  13. The Banda initiative has strong relevance for Zambia, Africa’s water rich and fertile soil nation. With its large rural population and extensive farmlands, the country boasts unrivalled opportunities of transforming the humble peasantry farming society to an industrial raw standard serving both domestic and international markets. RB has unbeatable Game plan. Our fastest growing agricultural sector can and is transforming rural economies, spurring rapid economic and industrial growth and assisting disadvantaged communities like never before.

  14. In a sub-region region clogged with food insecurity and open borders, Zambia must tenaciously take the lead not only in developing better production, harvesting and processing technologies, but also in finding new uses and markets for what are undoubtedly wonder crops. Look at the by-products such as oats, cereals, cookies and flour that would come from our produce for export to the regional market. Zambia stands to make giant strides towards inclusive and sustainable development simply through the intelligent and judicious promotion of farming and food security in her economic primacy.

  15. This is very good, but small scale farmers all over Zambia have been complaining about the unfair/slow/undependable market with FRA. FRA should be sorted out soon or else farmers will be discouraged because of the headaches from FRA and the deception from briefcase buyers.

  16. # 4 Peter Sosi Juma. point of correction. the people of Northern Province isnt Bembas. Bembas will continue climbing trees finalising the monkey species and down tres for Chitemene system which is not sustainable. The K128billion will be shared by Mambwes, Lungus Inamwanga and Tumbukas from Muyombe not my Bemba brothers. Ifipato fyalimufulunganya

  17. no way….. the results have been rigged…… its official Tongas are going to the supreme court to petition the results of the Bemba harvest, i know how they did it, willie nsanda took 300 UTTA buses from kitwe to load up on maize in monze and take it to Kasama…. ha very smart guys….

  18. Are you sure its the Bembas, Northern Province is not about the bembas. It should be from Mbala, Isoka is where we always get bumper haverst.

  19. Nshilimubemba, traditionally bembas view any kind of hard work, farming especially as punishment not business. So people on this blog are excited by the seeming turn-around, these are positive signs. Facts are there just check ministry of agriculture maize production over the years, the active provinces are, in order of importance Southern, Central and Eastern…..forget the rest

  20. Dont show us yo dullness,wat qualifies 1 to be a Bemba?Mbala and Isoka are all areas of Bemba people,where did u learn yo history and geography?my pipo am proud of u,lets continue with the same spirit..lol

  21. hahahahahaaaa F.oolish C.B syas. I am namwanga and not Bemba, what bemba people. foolish indeed. learn your history

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading