Friday, March 29, 2024

World Bank advises Zambia to consider limiting the Farmer Input Support Program

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Ina Ruthenberg world Bank Country Manager- Zambia showing the book to Parliamentary Accounts Committeduring during the meeting with Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
Ina Ruthenberg world Bank Country Manager- Zambia showing the book to Parliamentary Accounts Committeduring during the meeting with Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
The World Bank has advised government to consider limiting the Farmer Input Support Program -FISP- to three years to allow farmers graduate out of the system.

World Bank Zambia Lead Agriculture Economist Willem Janssen says Zambia spends a lot on the FISP but farmers do not graduate.

Appearing before Expanded Budget Committee on Estimates in Lusaka today, Dr. Janssen said Agriculture is an economic model for Zambia’s growth hence the need to encourage rural development of the sector which employs 60 percent of the population.

He has further noted that Zambia needs to find agro products in which it can have a long comparative advantage like production of animal proteins from soya beans and maize whose production costs have started reducing.

And World Bank Zambia Senior Economist Gregory Smith said Zambia’s economy is much stronger with copper prices having risen by 36 percent .

Dr. Smith has also observed that the 2018 National budget is continuation of Zambia plus with much higher ambitions.

He adds that government has put in place a good budget for 2018 with huge allocations toward health and education but raised concern on the 24 percent toward servicing interest rates for debts.

Meanwhile World Bank Zambia Country Manager Ina Ruthenburg said the bank wants to support Zambia’s drive for economic diversification and move to being a less copper dependent economy.

Ms. Ruthenburg said she would want people to now start focusing on prices of agro commodities and not copper prices when looking at Zambia’s economy.

The Committee is chaired by Mbala Member of Parliament Mwalimu Simfukwe.

Ina Ruthenberg world Bank Country Manager- Zambia speaking Parliamentary Accounts Committeduring with her World Bank Zambia term during the meeting with Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
Ina Ruthenberg world Bank Country Manager- Zambia speaking Parliamentary Accounts Committeduring with her World Bank Zambia term during the meeting with Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
Ina Ruthenberg world Bank Country Manager- Zambia addressing Parliamentary Accounts Committeduring with her World Bank Zambia term during meeting with Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
Ina Ruthenberg world Bank Country Manager- Zambia addressing Parliamentary Accounts Committeduring with her World Bank Zambia term during meeting with Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
Dr. William Janssen Lead Agriculture Economist World Bank flanked by Ina Ruthenberg is the world Bank Country Manager- Zambia during World Bank Zambia appearing before Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
Dr. William Janssen Lead Agriculture Economist World Bank flanked by Ina Ruthenberg is the world Bank Country Manager- Zambia during World Bank Zambia appearing before Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
(From left to right) Dr. William Janssen Lead Agriculture Economist World Bank (r), Dr. Gregory Smith Senior Economist World Bank (l) and Ina Ruthenberg is the world Bank Country Manager- Zambia (c) during World Bank Zambia appearing before Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament
(From left to right) Dr. William Janssen Lead Agriculture Economist World Bank (r), Dr. Gregory Smith Senior Economist World Bank (l) and Ina Ruthenberg is the world Bank Country Manager- Zambia (c) during World Bank Zambia appearing before Parliamentary Accounts Committee at Parliament

39 COMMENTS

  1. Advice makes sense but why can’t we make such decisions on our own? More than 50 years of so-called independence and still being educated on how to feed ourselves?

    When you’re always being told what to do, you’re not living your life but someone else is living it for you.

    • World Bank why can’t you sa.tan.ic cretins advise the govt on the maize floor price? The mistake was made by abena Dollar Siliza and next year we are going to be in a fix as few people will grow maize this year. So we once again will be knocking on the door of these Sa.tan.ists called the World Bank! May you chaps be cursed for the terrible evil you commit and the misery you put on poor people across the world! This is why we have groups against such organisations! Shame on you chaps!!!!

    • Because we are too busy fighting each other to actually focus on real issues.. just read this blog n you will see why we can’t come up with and execute rational and progressive ideas.

    • The farmer input fimo fimo is being abused as a campaign gimmick and is a serious violation of electoral conduct in it’s current form. It is wide open in it’s terms and is therefore open to abuse which “we all know who” has leaped on and repackaged as part of the “Sonta epo wabomba”.

      Yes, it must end, but is anyone listening to this advise? I really doubt.

    • The world bank uses poor african countries as guinea pigs for their economic experiments.Look at the hardships their Structural adjustment programmes brought across africa.They made us liberalise our economies to the detriment of our manufacturing industries,equity in education and health services…etc..When they advise something don’t just say yes but let our local experts study the implications of their new policy strategy.

    • After more than half a century of so-called independence they are still being sat down like little helpless children with psychological handicaps. Why these people found it so important to be weaned from their colonial masters before they are able to manage on their own, is, I believe testimony of their insanity. Moreover they aren’t even ashamed of being schooled on how to feed themselves by the people they chased away, fifty years later!

    • @ Nubian Princess and that is the problem with you PF surroga?, you are inadvisable wont im sure- take this advice. The government need to take stock and see if the things they are implementing are working or not

    • @Nubian Princess you are right!! Its amazing how many people fail to see that the world bank/IMF can not point to any African success story for their policies.Our farmers have been reaping bumper harvests for the last 3 or so years whilst other countries have suffered from poor crop yields.Why is World Bank suddenly eyeing our farmers perhaps they are not happy that if our farmers are successful we will not need their monies.#leaveourfarmersalone IF IT AINT BROKEN DONT FIX IT

    • Good question……..like most of “imdependent” Africa, we have the knowledge but applicability is an issue,hence Africa’s dependence on former colonial masters. But your country is also too corrupt,probably the only “Hot” commodity out of Africa these days..

  2. Who would want farmers to graduate out of a program that serves as a conduit for pilfering the fund?

    You make sense bwana IMF but know nothing about the culture in these parts of the world.

    • Mutati has told us – A BILLION Kwacha went to “Ghost Farmers” that do not even exist as farmers.

      We know these are PF cadres that have been stealing from the FISP and the ACC tells us there is no CORRUPTION in Zambia.

      Until these thieves are rooted out and JAILED the FISP will continue as a cash cow for PF Ministers, PSs, DCs and the whole dishonest gang starting with Lungu himself.

    • Very true, the program is a tool for looting government money. They have no real intentions to have self sufficient farmers.

  3. The politicians incorporate “fishy”
    Brief case companies to supply inputs for this so called farmers support program.
    In most cases the inputs never get to the intended targets if they are even supplied at all.

  4. If LT can’t even write proper English captions then i give up on Zambia even grasping proper economics.No surprise we’re still being lectured by westerners on how to run a country successfully.

  5. I don’t think World Bank should have set up offices in Zambia and the rest of Africa in the first place. I suspect the monies being paid to run their offices and salaries might be coming from the poor Africans. It is still scramble for Africa mwebantu. World Bank wasn’t created to help African countries but rip us off. African leaders need to wake up from slumber and do the right things. It really hurts me to see a Muzungu still dictating us on what to do in this modern time. As long as we allow this to continue happening in Africa, we will continue wallowing in poverty and be slaves. Africa is so rich to a point of lifting up everybody out of the misery we are subjected to.

  6. These guys where they come from they still subsidies their agriculture. The problem with Africa is that leaders have found it as an easy way of looting government coffers. An African is by nature dishonest and selfish. always taking the easy way to good life.

  7. The main problem with FISP is that only growers of maize are benefiting from it. I am very sure that if support was across all other agricultural enterprises Zambia would have been in a better position. In the EU there is farmer support but let us get it right, farmers are told to meet certain criteria or goals before they are given any money. The money comes from the EU direct to the farmer and is not distributed by individual countries. That eliminates corruption and biased discrimination.

    • True – and the system works really well. However, they majority voted leave in the referendum, so once Brexit is implemented in 2019 the UK farmers will have to rely on UK funding

  8. Zambians amaze me ,we’d rather eat and drink politics all day then we complain about our poverty which is a self inflicted wound.

  9. @The Real Farmer very nice contribution , can we atleast for today talk about real issues without insulting each other.

  10. Agriculture can flourish in Zambia but the goverment needs to implement a proper infrastructure.
    Our seasonal cash crops such fruit go to waste by the ton. With better machinary Zambia could procees fruit drinks from mangoes, pineapples, guava etc…! These just rot in the fields
    Sunflower, cashew nuts, beans, lentils etc are in demand in Europe – grow plenty of it instead of tobacco

    • Government is you and me. I’ve seen how this FISP has been abused by both benefitiaries and the officers in charge of the exercise. We don’t expect the president to come down to control the situation. All presidents have done their best but because of our love for money and beer this has failed. Maybe a firing squad can a trick.

    • Well I can’t force you to be government but even where you’re citizens are very serious about ownership and act responsibly. It’s not right for one to sell government issues for personal use regardless of whether you’re a minister , an officer or an ordinary citizen.

  11. The world’s 10 biggest coffee exporters

    Brazil – 5.7bn pounds
    Vietnam – 3.6bn
    Colombia – 1.8bn
    Indonesia – 1.5bn
    Ethiopia – 847m
    Honduras – 767m
    India – 767m
    Uganda – 635m
    Mexico – 516m
    Guatemala – 450m

  12. These World Bank and IMF people are very evil people. They’ve noticed that we are diversifying our economy and things are working for us, now they are coming with s.t.upid ideas to kill farming in our country. Don’t listen to these racist evil degenerates.

    • Best observation so far. We can raise resources locally without their loans as long as we all work with integrity.

  13. We should not listen to the world bank anymore. We listened to them in 1991, based on their instructions we privatized every company we owned or liquidated them. We have seen how they wanted even our resources to be largely controlled by foreign companies which are predominantly owned by white or Chinese folk. The farmers in the U.S where the world bank is from are largely subsidized by the U.S government. So the world bank has no right to tell our government to limit the input support program. Why nit support the farmers till they get to commercial levels? Or are the farmers being supported already commercial farmers? why not redirect the input support towards other crops or get more peasant farmers on board. I personally don’t think growing too much food is a problem…

  14. We should not listen to the world bank anymore. We listened to them in 1991, based on their instructions we privatized every company we owned or liquidated them. We have seen how they wanted even our resources to be largely controlled by foreign companies which are predominantly owned by white or Chinese folk. The farmers in the U.S where the world bank is from are largely subsidized by the U.S government. So the world bank has no right to tell our government to limit the input support program. Why not support the farmers till they get to commercial levels? Or are the farmers being supported already commercial farmers? why not redirect the input support towards other crops or get more peasant farmers on board. I personally don’t think growing too much food is a problem…

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