Forum for Democracy and Democracy (FDD) Leader Edith Nawakwi has charged that Zambians will starve to death next year because of the poor agricultural policies implemented by the PF Government.
Speaking during the launch of the Startup grants program for small scale farmers, an initiative of her party in Lusaka today, Ms Nawakwi said that for the first time in the history of the nation, Zambia will be on the United Nations (UN) list of nations in need of relief food.
Ms Nawakwi explained that the K500, 000 program she has launched will benefit over 4, 000 farmers in various parts of the country to help them sustain their farming efforts.
Below is the full speech during the launch
OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE FDD AGRICULTURE START-UP GRANTS PROGRAM FOR SMALL SCALE FARMERS BY PRESIDENT EDITH Z. NAWAKWI AT THE FDD PARTY SECRETARIAT
Good morning fellow countrymen and women.
It is evident that while the whole country has become bankrupt, the worst hit, are the farmers who have been kept poor by successive governments.
In order to make progress, we have to identify the needs of a household.
The Patriotic Front Government has put a tombstone on all farmers, be it small scale or large scale.
With the prevailing load shedding, sky rocketing cost of production and inconsistent policy direction by this Government, it will take radical strategies and programs to resurrect farmers from the abyss of poverty which the PF Government has buried them.
What is prevailing is a serious sign that next year there will be massive hunger. This whole country will be in starvation. There will be no grain to grind. Hospitals will run out of drugs. The price of food and other essential goods and services will go beyond the reach of most of us.
All this could have been avoided had our humble President listened to our advice. We advised President Edgar Lungu to change course. We told him that he was cruising downhill at an alarming speed. But he didn’t listen. Now that he has grounded our economy to its knees, he has resorted to threats and insults.
Members of the press and distinguished Party Officials present; I welcome you all to this very important occasion, an occasion that will forever change the lives of thousands of households across our great country.
In our spirited effort to achieve a poverty-free Zambia through the creation of wealth at household level, I am proud today to officially launch the FDD Agriculture Start-Up Grants Program for Small Scale Farmers.
This program is aimed at supporting small scale farmers with various high value agro products for a period of three years to enable them generate higher incomes and move them from peasantry to self-reliance. It is equally designed to provide technical support that will enable farmers to increase productivity and diversify into agro-processing to add value to their produce.
As a party, we have embarked on a vigorous program of empowering farmers by providing them with Soya beans, Sun Flower and vegetable seed.
The initial number of farmers who will directly benefit from this program is 4000. These will include farmers from Chadiza, Chipata, Chisamba and Samfya Districts.
As you may be aware, small scale farmers contribute more than 80% of all the maize that we produce as a country. The bulk of these farmers, who are breaking their backs to feed our nation are women.
The sad reality, however, is that the majority of these farmers despite their hard work and sacrifice live in dehumanising poverty and deprivation. This is as a direct result of bad Agricultural policies that successive governments have been pursuing.
Agriculture which should be a cornerstone of our economic growth and national development has grossly been mismanaged by our colleagues in government. The budget allocation is in adequate. There is insufficient technical support and a general lack of planning to ensure successful diversification, mechanisation, processing and profitable marketing of our agro-products.
It is clear that Maize alone shall never lift our people out of poverty. The whole Maize business from FISP to FRA is a scandal that has plunged our farmers into untold misery.
Time has come for us to empower our farmers with high value crops and other agro-products that can generate enough income for their families and create employment for our youths.
Diversification and agro-processing is the only way to make agriculture a profitable industry capable of creating millions of jobs, eradicate poverty and increase our nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
We passionately appeal to our cooperating partners and other stakeholders to support us financially, materially and technically in order for us to expand this program and increase the number of beneficiaries.
Thank you.
May God bless our country.
This what I expected from Edgar to launch some jobs in the copper-belt. Not to launch insults, telling people that “kutumpa”. Edgar has wasted opportunity, but Edith is gaining!!!
We welcome this development, important step Lady Nawakwi!
Eish, so many Prophets now on the political scene. We started with Prophet Nevers Mumba, Prophet Frank Bwalya, recently we had Prophet Edgar Chakolwa Lungu leading the whole nation in prayer…and now…we have Prophet Edith Nawakwi predicting next year’s massive hunger with no grain to grind! Hahahahaha!!!!!!
@ Suntwe wa Suntwe
I`m also surprised with this Ms Edith Nawakwi prophet of doom,she is blessing people with agro-input but by mouth she is cursing their harvest. May she is giving out
Fertilizer Doomed Development( FDD).
Here we have some brains and vision!
All this dull Lungu has to offer is hangovers and $300, 000 airplane charters to America for himself!
Zambia can never develop with such useless PF clowns asleep on the job.
Well done Nawakwi!
@Nostradamus
Ka Lungu has already fixed small scale chibuku drinking taverns mu ma komboni …..,, and do you think PF youths are interested in business or farming,, when they know there’s a thing called drinking drank from their master
Thank-you Mrs Nawakwi. Maybe some rich guys from some opposition party will emulate you and start projects like this instead of waiting to be president to to help fellow Zambians!
Akubuteni ba Edi!
This is what HH and GBM should have been doing since they bost of being rich
What is the sustainability of this kuwayawaya project? Ba Nawakwi please, you are an invalid leader! Have you heard of something Farmer Input Support Program (FISP)? Awe nomba, are you telling me this is the kind of opposition Zambians are subjected to?
Nawakwi, Government has a viable and sustainable program called FISP and please go and nurse your husband instead of wasting our time. Surely, we all know that you got bigger issues to deal with in you party instead of predicting doom? What will one 10kg bag of maize do for my old grandma? Stop insulting people and just return the Carlington money that you stole wechiliule we!!
@UFO.
The likes of You are the biggest cause of the poverty in our country. I don’t think Nawakwi’s project deserves such evil gesture from any well meaning Zambian.
This is what ECL should be doing. This FISP project of yours is only accessible to a minority some of whom don’t even get the right quantity.
You have a brain like that of a fly- a green fly that is so persistent on landing on faeces even when it is chased.
SEE SENSE IN THE OLD LADY THOUGH SHE MAY NOT BE YOUR PREFERED POLITICAL LEADER.
iwe chi UFO. do you have to insult? take you abusive language to your parents
This is the kind of attitude that is needed in government. There is too much emphasis on attracting large transnational corporations, rather than building Zambian business, not meaning the ministers personal businesses. There even seems to be some kind of hostility to supporting small scale businesses and farms.
Also, let’s start small scale irrigation like this, to make farmers less dependent on rainfall. There is a huge potential to turn low yielding land into highly productive land using berms and swales to fill aquifers, wells, and raise the water table. Google: harvesting water dvd youtube
Kutumpa uko ..hahaha! Nawakwi is my gal. Good ideas
How can one make an anonymous donation to the FDD??
Tell them your Vote a Card Number! That’ll do for them!
Stop insulting people and just return the Carlington money that you stole wechiliule we!!
“We ciliule we”?
I don’t think that is very nice. You can do better than that.
By the way, if you have evidence that Edith stole some cash, why don’t take her to court. This barking with your butt needs to stop!
EDITH NAWAKWI IS MORE RELEVANT THAN THE BILLIONAIRES HH AND GBM, ALL THEY KNOW IS INSULTING THE GVT, EDITH CRITICISES AND STEPS FORWARD TO PROVIDE SOMETHING PRACTICAL…
That is so very true.
Viva President Nawakwi.
Anyway she is not greedy like hh.
Kudos to mama Nawakwi for this great initiative.
Comment: Easier said than done. That’s the case with politicians.
Good but k500 000÷4000 is k 125 so it will not be for 4000 small scale famers iam not sure if this kind of politics is good becouse maybe some bad people are investing in nawakwi but if good people are contributing to her club then all is well politics will always be there
Is FDD now an NGO?
See people like you need another day of national prayer. Just to wipe out that ignorance.
Thank you mama for supporting PF empowerment program weldone
I am suprised with what K 500 000 can do!
Bana Zambia learn to give praise were it is due. Those of you who are insulting, you are just failing to swallow the bitter pill that ED is walking her talk. Edith has the brains to put things right, its unfortunate that most people got big eyes for nothing. She has showed the country that you don’t need to be a rich political party in order to reach out to the poor. The so called fisp program at the end of the day the major beneficiaries are camp offices and it is not reliable. The little she has extended to help will go a long way to someone. Well done Madam Nawakwi.
God bless, this is the kind of politics we need. Addressing issues and not yapping and recklessness we are experiencing today. Well done
She is better candidate than the men fox available only that she needs a very good team to campaign for her. I always admire her stance on some national issues.
Great move Edith, am waiting for HH and GBM to come up with a more bigger package for the farmers. May God bless you.
Um mmmmm, is this legal? A political party giving people loans before elections!? Well, if they all default, then what? Will Madame Nawakwi be forced to take them all to court? I imagine that will put a spanner in the works!
Anyway…. it’s time for Zambians to enjoy the free cash (from foreign sources edging their bets on who will win or who they hope will for their sake).
IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEAR BUT USING STOLEN MONEY ITS USELESS. DON T PRETEND TO BE HOLY AND YET U ARE A THIEF. AS FOR NAWAKWI WE CANT MAKE THAT MISTAKE TO ELECT YOU SOMEONE N O T MARRIED ITS OUT.
@gift , hh is greedy.