Western Province Permanent Secretary, Akapelwa Simomo says government is on course of improving the agriculture sector in the province.
Mr Simomo said this during the handover ceremony of two mechanization equipment to Kalwizhi and Kuwape multipurpose cooperative unions in Kalabo district of Western province.
He said the donated two tractors was a courtesy of the International fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) through the Enhanced Small Holder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (E-SAPP) as a matching grant facility to help farmers increase their hectarage, production and productivity.
The Permanent Secretary said government places a lot of emphasis on ramping up agricultural production through mechanization and commercialization so as to ensure food security and surplus for export to neighbouring markets.
Mr Simomo has urged the two cooperative unions in Kalabo district to guard the tractors and its associated implements jealously and ensure regular maintenance in order to prolong the life span of the machinery.
He said Kalabo district has a comparative advantage in the growing of rice adding that with the empowerment of tractors, farmers should increase their hectarage under rice in the forthcoming farming season.
And Kalwizhi Cooperative Union representative, Sibeso Mukelabai said the district has over 360 small holder farmers and the gesture will go a long way in improving farming in the area.
Mr Mukelabai said the current farming system is highly labour intensive and time consuming adding that the donated mechanized equipment will enable the two farming groups to graduate from subsistence to emergent and more economically viable farmers.
He said small holder farmers in the area lack access to financial resources that can mitigate production challenges and that the donated agriculture equipment will enhance production in many crops in the district.
DONATED ?? IS A WORD THAT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM OUR DICTIONARY
AND EMPOWERMENT IS JUST A POLITICAL WORD INVENTED BY PF
ITS NOT THE WAY FORWARD
As much as mechanization is perceived to potentially increase production, in the wake of climate change this approach is inappropriate because it entails expansion of new areas for agriculture. Our farmers need to adopt intensity high yielding and organic agricultural production. They also need linkage to market which is a function of good rural infrastructure and value addition.
Sorry I haven’t seen anything different.
IF YOU TAKE OFF YOUR BLINKERS YOU MAY SEE AN EFFORT BEING MADE NO MATTER HOW SMALL
MY ONLY GRIPE IS THE TRACTORS ? HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST, WHO WILL SERVICE THEM, WHERE WILL THEY GET THE SPARES FROM AND WHO WILL PAY FOR THESE ? THIS IS NOT A WISE MOVE