Friday, March 29, 2024

Only 1 000 farmers out of 24,000 in Kabwe district have received farming inputs

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Kabwe District Food Nutritionist, Mary Mungabo, says only one thousand farmers out of 24,000 in Kabwe district have received farming inputs for the 2019/2020 farming season.

Mrs Mungabo said the 1000 farmers received the farming inputs this week in an exercise that commenced on Tuesday.

She discloses that the exercise that commenced on Tuesday this week would be concluded before the onset of the rains.

Mrs Mungabo was responding to questions during a full council meeting held yesterday at the Kabwe Municipal Council on whether the DACO’s office had commenced the distribution of farming inputs to farmers in Kabwe district.

She however explained that the delay in the distribution of farming inputs to the rest of the farmers was as a result of the farmers not depositing their K400 contributions on time adding that a big number of them had not yet made their deposits.

All the 24,000, who are expected to benefit under the Food Input Support Programme (FISP), will all collect medium maturing varieties such Zambezi seed and Pana seed due to the fact that Kabwe district is in a region with medium rainfall.

Mrs Mungabo said farmers were also being advised to consider Conservation agriculture and to focus on diversification as the country is trying to promote other seed varieties such as sorghum and Millet apart from Maize.

Meanwhile, hiwang`andu District Commissioner (DC), Evelyn Kangwa, has urged cooperatives to clean their registers for the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and remove deceased farmers.

Ms Kangwa said there is a tendency of getting farming inputs on slots of deceased farmers, a development which is disadvantaging others from benefiting under the programme.

Ms Kangwa said accessing inputs on a slot which was meant for someone who died is illegal saying every cooperative member who will be found wanting will face the wrath of the law.

ZANIS reports that the DC said this during a meeting with small scale farmers at her office.

She has called on the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a system that will be helping in cleaning the farmer registers every farming season so that deceased farmers can be removed and replaced on the programme.

And Macheleta Village Headman, Gordian Kafuko, said it has been observed that some individual members of cooperatives have been getting more than two packs of farming inputs every farming season.

Mr Kafuko alleged that some beneficiaries from Chisokotwa cooperative have benefited double packs this farming season sating that the move should come to an end so that other farmers can benefit.

7 COMMENTS

    • Mid November, land preparations and inputs should have been down in July, farmers should only be worrying about when the rains gonna start pouring and not about undelivered inputs, let’s not cry climate change next year.

    • According to Edgar Lungu, there is climate change. If that were true, why should govt waste money distributing farming imputs knowing that that there will be a drought. It is better to use that money building roads in New Kasama and State Lodge were Ministers are building mansions.

  1. The heading is wrong. It should have red so far 1000 farmers receive inputs. It’s sounds like the programme has failed and only managed to serve the 1000 out of 24000. Other factors then should have been explained.

    I don’t like the way the govt is managing its affairs but this is wrong. The reporter must be cautioned. He is anti govt but should do his Job properly.

    Speed this thing up. People have suffered. You could have even given them the seed than waiting for contributions then chase it up. So many ways to recover like on fertiliser distribution. Make them pay before they collect as they already planted.

    • Good point, these same farmers have been eating mangoes lately because of hunger. How can FISP expect farmers to raise K400. Maybe we should extend social cash to these farmers too.

  2. Two prayed to God asking for good rains then one of the went to prepare his field who between the two trusted God to send rain? So if this government was hoping for a bumper harvest next year this is not the way to go about it. 1000 out of 24000 is a joke, even when the rains will be good nothing meaningful will be reaped and next year we will be crying more on mealie meal prices.

  3. It is always sad to be reading hate comments, Zambians we should denounce insultes, hate speeches and comments etc, let us remember that our fore fathers where united when they fought for freedom and the peace we are enjoying today. As we always say, ‘united we Stand, divided we fall’. Those in opposition unity with the rulling party PF under the leadership of President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, one leader at time and that does not mean that when you get united with the rulling party then you can not speak and advise, you need to use the language which will Unity Zambia, which will focus on the national development

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