Government has reiterated that it places high premium consideration on agriculture as the main driver of national economic empowerment.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet for Administration, Patrick Kangwa, says it is for this reason that government has chosen to continue implementing a system of subsidising the agricultural sector through the Farmer Input Support Program through the e-voucher.
ZANIS reports that Mr Kangwa was speaking yesterday in Chisamba District when he officially opened this year’s Central Province Agricultural and Commercial Show.
He added that distribution of agricultural inputs through the e- voucher system has saved millions of taxpayers’ money by elimating ghost farmers who had persistently affected input distribution in the country.
Mr Kangwa assured the farmers that government is committed to the promotion of agriculture in order to reduce poverty in the country.
He said government’s dream is to create an effective and efficient agricultural sector while providing business opportunities to local businesses such as agro dealers.
The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet emphasized that government will continue to seek emerging crop production challenges and animal diseases to climate change and soil degradation through agricultural research.
Mr Kangwa also revealed that plans are underway to decentralise services to the district level to bring such services as close to the farmers as possible.
He, however, urged extension officers to continue educating small scale farmers in order to broaden the agricultural sector base through crop diversification and understand conservation and modern farming methods which heavily rely on chemicals.
Mr Kangwa noted that Central Province has continued to produce massive amounts of wheat, a variety of tobacco, soya beans, popcorn and sees maize more than any other province in the country.
He, however, called on commercial farmers in the province to take a leading role in organising agricultural shows and related exhibitions to encourage the transfer of knowledge and technology among small scale farmers.
The theme for this year’s Provincial Agricultural and Commercial Show is: Sustainable economic empowerment.
