Government says there’s need for participation of all stakeholders if Zambia is to achieve the vision 2030 goal of “creating a prosperous middle income nation by 2030.
Kalulushi District Commissioner Kampamba Mulenga said this during the district Agriculture Show whose theme is “Overcoming climate changes through agriculture diversification for sustainable security,” held in Chambishi.
Ms. Mulenga said to achieve the 2030 goal of creating a prosperous middle income, there was also need to have a liberalised economy for the seed companies.
She disclosed that in Kalulushi district Naraj Oils Company has the machinery to extract oil from Soya beans and Sunflower but that the supply of raw materials was a hindrance.
The Kalulushi DC however urged farmers in Kalulushi and surrounding districts to rise to the occasion by engaging in oil crops like soya beans that have great potential to turn around a farmer’s income.
Ms Mulenga further disclosed that the current agricultural season had one rare occurrence of the el-nino phenomena that had affected crop production adding that Kalulushi district had not been left out of the tragedy.
She said the area has had an irregular occurring and complex series of climatic changes which were characterised by weak and warm climates.
Ms. Mulenga said Kalulushi district was affected not only through the late on-set of the rainy season but that there was been an extended dry spell in March this year and heavy rains towards the end of the season.
She said in order for government to respond to the challenges of climatic changes it was conducting a crop survey through the ministry of agriculture and livestock.
Ms Mulenga said the data through the crop survey would be used in the intervention measures to ensure food supply .
She said government would also be disseminating information through the meteorological department so that the farmers are well equipped.
And Kalulushi Show Society Committee Chairman Rudge Chilengi said the theme for this year’s agriculture show : “ overcoming climatic changes through agriculture diversification for sustainable security,” made farmers in Kalulushi to work very hard in order to sustain food security even though the rains were poor last season.
He appealed to government to deliver farming inputs on time .
Putting an oil extraction plant in Kalulushi is a joke. Those people do not farm. They are used to sort term labour contracts in the mines or just scavenging for copper on dumps.