Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri says government will not recruit Agriculture Extension Officers this year because they are not budgeted for in the 2022 national budget.
Reacting to the recent protest by over 100 agricultural students and graduates in Lusaka who were demanding to be employed by the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Phiri said the government is aware of the plight of agriculture extension officers in the country and is working on modalities to ensure they are employed.
He has told Phoenix News that government is also aware of the shortage of Agriculture Extension Officers in the country but assured that once modalities are put in place in future, they will be employed.
Mr Phiri says the recruitment will help alleviate the challenges faced by most farmers in rural areas such as lack of proper knowledge on agriculture.
Agriculture is our only hope.
If Government requires to spend money in the agric sector, it’s on extension services. It’s one of the reasons that small scale farmers don’t seem to improve despite Boma spending colossal sums on the sector every year. I’m worried that the many private farmers can’t absorb these graduates, how are they managing? It’s not possible for Government to employ every person it trains. How many professionals has Zambia’s richest and greatest livestock farmer employed?
These are supposed to employ themselves, why asking for a job. Ask for land and starter capital instead
They do not need to be employed by government. Agriculture is both a science and a livelihoods skills training. Empower them with a funding facility and let them start emergent farming- livestock and fisheries plus fruit farming. Sorry to say that currently govt extension and research staff report for work but do nothing because there don’t have resources to go in the field. Farmers have also evolved to use other more innovative forms of extension.
All these solution, double in nature (jobs for the youth and agriculture production) are provided for in KBF’s Zambia must prosper. Why the UPND government did not adopt the practices in the book is beyond me. Finshi fimbi?
This Chiza guy is boring. Why did I even read his comment in the first place. Also government can not budget for everything in a single year, even with the importance that agriculture holds. Isnt it the same KBF who helped bandits come to power in 2011
@Deja vu: “Agriculture if our only hope” who’s hope you? Last time i checked you grew up a jerabo – so which agriculture is your hope? Black mountain?
@ Chiza Chirwa: In KBF’s Zambia must proper, why wud Albert Einstein take advice from a UNZA lecturer on principles of Physics(Einstein designed the curricullum that UNZA lecturers not only teach but study in order to get their degree). HH is the Einstein of Agriculture, Livestock, Mining, Accounting, Economics & Business in Zambia. He has no much,the second to him is a white man somewhere in First world countries, not even on the African continent. Yes Kagame has succeed with Rwanda but Zambia is coming & ll be more than Rwanda cos no one on the continent beats our own HH’s intelligency-the man is just way too ahead & Knowlegeable.
@6, I will let others respond to your comment. I will not dignify you with a response on the contents of your reply.
#6 Jonathan Mutaware……..totally agree with you, currently president HH is 5th best president in Africa 9 months in office. We await when his plans will flourish in the coming years. A record Zambia has never come close to, even after multiparty dispensation.
Jonathan you are trying to hard. I understand you are after attention but sadly you are not getting it. If your life is so sad why don’t you take up voluntary work there abroad to help your fellow victims of xenophobia? Do something productive and it might help your mental retardation
Shurrup
#4 Chiza Chirwa, I have read both books, 1 & 2 and they lack depth. Those are just commentaries without an implementation roadmap. I was just fascinated by why KBF seems to believe that the only people that can drive Zambia’s development agenda are Christians especially those from the UCZ Church. That’s being limited in thinking. When covid-19 first hit Zambia Muslims offered over a thousand bed spaces with utilities and logistics. Where were the Christians who claim to own the country?
You can recruit them next year.
You will need them when it is too late.