Government says it will not distribute fertilizer through clubs with effect from next year. Agriculture and Livestock Minister Robert Sichinga disclosed the development during a meeting in Chinsali yesterday.
This follows the presidential directive to ministers to go out and explain the Government Policy on the changes of fertilizer subsidies and maize purchase modalities.
Mr. Sichinga said 2013 is a transit year for the PF Government adding that next year government will only be distributing farming inputs through co-operative movements.
The minister said the government is currently working on mechanisms to revamp all cooperatives country wide in readiness for next year.
He added that it is for this reason that the PF Government has purchased 10 vehicles one per province as a grant to help all cooperatives reorganize themselves.
Mr. Sichinga pointed out that the cooperatives will be revamped as Private, Provincial and District cooperatives respectively.
Mr. Sichinga said there is no doubt on his mind that the PF Government clearly knows where it desires Zambia to be.
He held that in terms of output he is pleased with Chinsali and that farmers in the district have done well in this years’ marketing season.
The Minister also disclosed that Chinsali has exceeded the target allocated by 1000 metric tonnes against the district’s output target of 6,802 metric tonnes of maize.
Mr. Sichinga who expressed happiness promised the farmers in the district that his ministry will continue to deliver fertilizer and other farming inputs because Government is getting something back asshown by the sale of maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
The Minister said Government has also planned to construct 98 storage sheds throughout the country as a way of promoting and boosting maize production among other crops grown in rural areas.
Mr. Sichinga thanked the farmers in Chinsali for producing and selling to FRA saying they have avoided the hunger that mightwould have risen if they had decided to sell their produce elsewhere like in other parts of the country.
…and when that self loathing Zambian engineer living in Australia tells you Zambia is a failed state you lynch him. A state distributing fertilizer through clubs?
***** never say that zambia, it is beautiful as it with what is happening, ask Australians how they did it, and what they went through. be appreciative you were born in Zambia
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Agriculture is corner stone of Zambia. Ensure the distribution is carefully done. Smuggling to DRC by politicians must be curtailed. 2013 has seen a low maize production and hunger is already looming. Consult widely before you commence.
any club so expectant would be PF, as always, happened more in times of FTJC. let them clubs be stopped, they promote selfishness such that those who are in need end up looking stupd. USA tried that in Zed under USAID to promote farmers and alleviate poverty, all most people within the so called cooperatives got fertiliser and sold and no returns. Let a ‘situalution’ meaningful enough prevail. let Syria face war in context of war, rather than pretend like there no war yet people in thousands are gttng kld evry day and today same. need for separation of kill, and i belive without which what other people are afraid of will happen. let the war be controlled, as it is already is