Northern Province Minister Leonard Mbao has attributed the rise in maize production in the 2024/2025 farming season to sound policies of the government.
Mr Mbao said the Province has recorded a surge in maize production in the 2024/2025 farming season owing to President Hakainde Hichilema’s clarion call to increase crop production.
Mr Mbao who toured selected satellite depots to monitor the ongoing crop marketing season said farmers have heeded to the President’s call.
“We have monitored a number of depots in Mpulungu District and this year we have a bumper harvest, the maize farmers production this year is unprecedented,”Mr Mbao said.
He said the government is determined to ensure food security for its citizens and that the response from farmers is commendable.
“From all these stacks of maize which have been purchased and even those yet to be bought,we can surely predict enhanced food security, this commendable to our farmers and the government will continue to do its part to ensure that production continues to increase,” he added.
And Food Reserve Agency (FRA) Northern Province Marketing Coordinator Timothy Chanda has appealed to farmers camped at various depots to remain calm as the government will mop up all their produce.
Mr Chanda said there is no need for farmers to panic as the government will continue buying the maize.
“The rumours which you have heard that depots will close after reaching 10 000 bags of maize are not true,” Mr Chanda clarified.
“As FRA we will continue purchasing maize from farmers until October 31 and I’m sure by that time ,we will have managed to buy everything from the farmers,” he explained.
“I want to assure you that we are buying your produce because we want to secure enough for this country,” he added.
The country is currently implementing the maize marketing season and the Food Reserve Agency has continued to buy maize from farmers across the country.
When we did not have rains they blamed the deficit of maize to the drought, Now that God has given us rains instead of thanking God, somebody is thanking the President
When you were distributing fertilisers in medas in your first year in office it was not the President to blame, now that we have a bumper harvest, it is the President to praise?