90% of farm inputs distributed countrywide

Government has distributed about 90 percent of the farming inputs countrywide, for the 2019/2020 farming season.

Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo says the distribution of farming inputs has is almost complete in the countries ten provinces.

Mr Katambo told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that his office, working closely with Smart Zambia Institute has further captured on record, all the one million farmers expected to benefit from the input distribution this year.

He disclosed that small scale farmers across the country are expected to start redeeming the farming inputs in the first week of September.

“The distribution of farming inputs is progressing well and we are 80 to 90% done in all the Provinces. My office is working closely with Smart Zambia and all the 1 million farmers have been captured,” he said.

“I would like to encourage farmers to continue depositing their K400 in order for them to redeem their product in the first week of September.” He added.

And Mr Katambo underscored that the government will use two modalities of distributing farming input in the 2019/2020 farming season.

He emphasized that his ministry will use direct- deduct in Eastern, Muchinga, Northern, Copperbelt and North-Western Provinces, which are also expected to record a normal rainfall pattern.

The Minister of Agriculture was quick to point out that Southern, Western and some districts in Lusaka Province, will use the electronic voucher system, in order to give farmers a broader choice on crop variety.

He further explained that the weather focus for the coming rainy season projects that Southern, Western and Lusaka Provinces will receive below normal rainfall, hence putting the farmers under e-voucher to give them a wider choice of seed variety selection.