Thursday, March 28, 2024

UPND Leader Must Congratulate President Lungu and the PF Government for the BUMPER HARVESTS

Share

By Hon Dr. Jonas Chanda

President Edgar Lungu and the PF government must be highly commended for this year’s MAIZE BUMPER HARVEST which has seen Maize production being forecast to increase to 3,387,469 metric tonnes from 2,004,389 metric tonnes produced last year, representing an increase of 69%. And the projected MAIZE SURPLUS this year is 710,000 metric tonnes.

This is only the *FOURTH (4TH) MAIZE BUMPER HARVEST in 26 years.

It is also highly commendable that 93% of the Maize is produced by SMALL-SCALE PEASANT FARMERS, not LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL FARMERS. The country has also seen an increase in the production of other crops like Irish and sweet potatoes, cassava, soya bean, and rice.

These bumper harvests are due to Government’s EARLY DISTRIBUTION OF FARMING INPUTS across the country under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), coupled with favourable weather conditions. The PF Government’s huge successes in food production will ensure that the country is FOOD SECURE, has STABLE SUPPLY OF MAIZE TO MILLERS, and enjoys LOWER and STABLE MAIZE PRICES and other food prices. VALUE-ADDITION to and EXPORT of excess food commodities will greatly benefit the country’s economy. Moreover, the URBAN POPULATIONS of Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces* will be even happier with the LOWER MEALIE MEAL PRICES.

The main opposition United Party for National Development (UPND), who chose POLITICKING at the height of the CLIMATE CHANGE INDUCED DROUGHTS and CROPS FAILURES in some regions of the country, should be embarrassed at the BUMPER HARVESTS in maize and other crops. UPND firstly mocked President Lungu when he addressed *CLIMATE CHANGE* during the last opening of Parliament, and then went on to UNPATRIOTICALLY call for and illegally declare a “NATIONAL HUNGER DISASTER,” even calling on their “international donors” to turn Zambia into a FOOD BASKET CASE by asking them to donate food to Zambians just to embarrass the President and government while gaining CHEAP POLITICAL MILEAGE.

To UPND’s embarrassment, NO SINGLE ZAMBIAN HAS DIED OF HUNGER. Government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has distributed record numbers of RELIEF MEALIE MEAL and ANIMAL FEED in regions most affected by drought, floods, and crop failures. DMMU is also distributing mealie meals across the country to VULNERABLE GROUPS such as *People With Disabilities, Chronically ill, Female-Headed Households and Child Headed Households.

I, therefore, call on UPND leader Mr. Hichilema to congratulate President Edgar Lungu and the PF government for the BUMPER HARVESTS recorded this year in MAIZE and OTHER CROPS with the *same zeal* he exhibited when ILLEGALLY DECLARING a NATIONAL HUNGER DISASTER. And I also call on Mr. Hichilema to congratulate the PF Government for the REDUCED PRICES OF MEALIE MEAL with the same passion he exhibited when POLITICISING “HIGH” MEALIE MEAL PRICES at the height of the Drought and Crop Failures.

Finally, I appeal to the National Food and Nutrition Commission to work with Ministry of Agriculture and other government institutions to correct the FALSE NARRATIVE that Zambia is the FOURTH (4TH) HUNGRIEST COUNTRY ON EARTH* when the country is recording BUMPER HARVESTS* and *NO SINGLE ZAMBIAN has DIED OF HUNGER unlike the situation in many African, and some Middle East and Asian countries.
Issued by:

37 COMMENTS

  1. Total madness at its best. Congratulating Edgar Lungu for what?

    Is Edgar Lungu God for Zambia?

    Madness indeed! PF must go!

    33
    6
    • The author needs to be quarantined urgently. Out of the numerous problems the country is facing, and that you brought the economy to its knees as PF even before covid, one can find time to waste to look for congratulations, does this guy know the rate of unemployment in our country and that people are looking upto them for solutions and not congratulations. very misplaced character

      25
      3
    • At a time when the country is going through a tough time economically, when most people don’t know whether they still have jobs you have time to do ‘utuchawa’ what a bunch of useless chaps. Anyway just remember that Zambians are very patient people we gave Kaunda 28 years so 12 months to go is nothing!

      11
      1
  2. Shouldnt you be praising the zambian farmers, especially small scale farmers instead of Lungu? Misplaced praises indeed.

    28
    2
  3. You are a very f**l!sh man Dr.Go around Zambia and see how bad things are cause of hungar.Zambians are hungry Dr whatever…

  4. The country is in serious decline economically and here is one sick mind looking for congratulations. By the way I am PF and for life. Debt out of the roof, exchange rate beyond control, inflation rising steadily, jobs no where to be seen and some body is seeking congratulations, even with this bumper harvest, the price will never beat what MMD left us with. And the price of mealie meal will still be beyond the reach of the ordinary Zambian. So what congratulations please

    19
    2
  5. 2018-2019 forecast was that the country had enough maize stocks and yet there was hunger across the country. Its yet to be seen if this narrative wont be true this year.PF being what they are will export everything and leave nothing for local consumption. When Dr. Chanda is asking HH to congratulate PF administration, he is actually smiling at the opportunity to make money through maize exports. Indeed nothing good can come out of PF, we know you too well .

    15
    1
  6. why congratulate Edgar? Was it PF who was urinating in maize fields?
    The incoming President should congratulate Edgar for pardoning prisoners.

    18
    1
  7. I was reading the article and I thought for a change the article would be objective and then I found the word UPND in it, then I immediately knew it was trash again, why do these fulls politicize everything. What are some of us who are non partisan expected to do. Can you be objective for once especially this family

    16
  8. its good that they have started realising that whatever they do needs to be tested whether it conforms to BALLY standards.
    they want ZABS= ZAMBIA BALLY STANDARDS to confirm and approve if they have managed to meet the required standards and targets this year.

    15
    1
  9. Sometimes i tend to agree with Seer 1. The level of madness in PF government is far beyond control.

    I’m speechless and I don’t understand this type of stupidity.

    PF must go!

    17
  10. Why blame him for the drought which caused the high mealie meal prices if you can’t congratulate him for the wet 2019/20 rainy season resulting in a bumper harvest coupled with early distribution of inputs. Both events are climate related. From this time onwards the Kariba Lake levels will be higher than last year’s. ZRA could have allocated more water to ZESCO for power generation but have realised the mistake it made last year by allocating ZESCO 17 million cubic water which resulted in the depletion of water at Kariba and this year it has decided to allocate ZESCO a reduced allocation of 11 billion cubic metres.. With this prudent usage of Kariba water load shedding will be reduced in the 2021 election year.

    2
    10
  11. This we should congratulate you but anything failure is global….this bumber is also global. Auto pilot bana bahesu.

    10
  12. Why should the Drunken Playboy J0n@ Chakok’z be congratulated for farmers hard work, whilst this Charlatan J0na is busy drinking & dancing day & night in State House, whilst travelling with know Narc0 Godfathers??
    The farmers deserve a pat on the back & congratulatory messages, aikona ba J0n@than!
    One person in the whole of the rotten P.F setup I would not feel ashamed to congratulate is one M!les Sampa. He is the difference in a dead & limp P@kunya Funkutu aka P.F.
    Meantime #P.FKUYABEBELE!

    11
  13. Our farmers and ministry of agriculture did very well. All thanks go to God for providing the moisture in the form of rain. Our will congratulate the president when he gets rid of most of his cabinet ministers. How many time am I going to say this. They are the reason for nonsense policies at ministries. Starting with education, commerce and industry.

  14. Ba chanda, askin hh to commend is like invitin satan in a church, hh is evil, bitter,jelousy, arrogant and stupiid chap who never see anything good in zambia, he will only appreciate if given an oppotunity to privatise state institution. And invest in the paradise papers

    2
    1
  15. kikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikiki…..hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe……………….kikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikik,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,REALLY?????? OMG i have seen enough sh1t but this is too much PEOPLE….How much is fertilizer? A Zambian Farmer is every year lobbed by these people…..we should be serious.

  16. Ok, the PF government under His Excellency, Edgar Chagwa Lungu should be commended for having alleviated the predicament which the farmers faced amidst the poor rainfall pattern coupled with the invasion of army worms. But then, the real praise will come when this bumper harvest is translated into much lower prices of mealie meal to benefit especially the poor Zambians who no doubt are the majority citizens. Unscrupulous business men shall rise to transform this bumper harvest into oblivion through smuggling and other related vices. However, let us wait patiently and observe the benefits of this bumper harvest.

  17. Bumper harvest for your foot what happened to the previous Bumper harvest maize gate scandal to Malawi scandal after scandal another maize gate part 2 is coming just wait and see.
    Dununa reverse for sure scandal after scandal scandal after scandal scandal after scandal scandal after scandal scandal after scandal .

  18. THERE IS NOTHING TO CONGRATULATE, WE WANT TO HEAR THE MASTER MINDER OF GASSING INCIDENT, WE WANT TO HEAR THE OWNER OF THE 49 HOUSES, WHO ARE THEY?

  19. They should congratulate the PF, I wish HH would play along and publish an open letter, and most importantly, say that the price of mealie meal is expected to reduce by half accross the nation and that the excess will be exported to Congo so that we make some money too.

  20. PF characters always in dreamland, the world said Zambia under PF regime is the 4th hungriest nation on earth – then its our fault.
    Seek medication for your mental illness.
    Everyone says PF Must Go.

  21. As a commercial farmer living in Diaspora, I have to say well done to all the Small Scale Farmers who have done extremely very well.

    I also have to say well done to the Government for improving farming imputs. We must improve on the current logistics and programs.

    Lastly Thank GOD for the good rains we had on time. Now let’s work with the Millers and reduce the price of Meal Mill.

  22. This trash is coming from a so called Medica doctor! His not any different from another doctor in the name of Malama who always debates using hate speech. Politics can make professionals zombies, always praise singing and hero worshipping an individual. Is it his money or tax payers that goes to support farmers!!

  23. But iwe Jonas Chanda, what was wrong with accepting food aid for the disaster affected people? You have instead ended up starving our people. You make them qeue up for a 15kg bag of meal meal which they finish in 3 days and wait for another 10 weeks at least before they can receive another bag if lucky.
    All this is designed to make the poor uneducated citizens think that PF cares for them! Thats PF for you, everything is vote and campaign. But they think othets like UPND should not do the same.

  24. I always say, Chagwa is one step ahead of musankwa. This is the 4th bumper harvest in 26 years!! Under who?? Then you want to go on podiums calling the guy a total failure??? I really think voters will have serious food for thought here-what will that ka tonga bally coming to do?????

    1
    5
  25. Oooops, there is a spanner in the works! The lie machinery has stopped.

    What will they say next…….?

  26. I’m supposed to be offline and on sabbatical leave from Lusaka Times. But I can’t help seeing headlines and bloggers comments hurt that grab my attention, making it difficult to stay away.

    Yes I agree with the author. When we have no harvest, Bally and his cohorts blame us all day long (even if drought caused). So why are you not praising the PF and my boss Mr President Lungu when there’s bumper harvest? It’s this double standard that will not allow the Zambian people to have Bally access to instruments of power.

    1
    4
  27. Don’t condemn the good Dr Chanda please mwebantu. I take it upto myself since HH Bally seems to be too busy to act on his behalf. So
    1. Congratulations Dr HE President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for the 4th bumper harvest in the last ati 26years ka. Furthermore
    2. Congratulations Mr President for keeping the price of mealie meal highest in the region since independence;
    3. Congratulations Mr President for having the highest prices of farm inputs in the region;
    4. Congratulations Mr President for maintaining the longest payment periods to farmers when they supply the maize;
    5. Congratulations Mr President for ensuring that the farmers who own the maize are still not allowed to sell to their own markets like the export mart but ensuring that only PF are allowed to export and get all the…

  28. Iwe ka Jonas, what position are you trying to attract Lungu’s attention to offer you just days before all of you liars and corrupt people are shown red card? Jonas some of us know you as a failure, you even run away from your parliamentary office for fear of what to tell those who elected you.

    Walilimapo ibala iwe? Why should the efforts of the struggling and exploited poor Zambian farmers translate into Lungu’s praise? Nimvula ya anyoko? ni effort ya anyoko?

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading