President Edgar Lungu has appealed to Financial Institutions to relax repayment mode for farmers who have loans because they are also been negatively affected by various challenges.

President Lungu said financial institutions should help reduce pressure on farmers because they are going through a tough season characterised by numerous challenges.

The President said his administration is aware that farmers are struggling to meet their obligation to financial institutions which has led to some of them to default on loans.

“I wish to appeal to financial institutions to relax pressure on farmers. I am aware that farmers are struggling to meet their obligations with the banks because of the challenges they are facing,” President Lungu said.

He said government is striving to address the water and electricity challenges the farming community is facing not only in Mkushi but across the country.

“We expect the power challenge to be over once the 760 megawatt Kafue Lower power plant is completed by the end of this year. The farming community need adequate electricity and water in order to produce,” he said.

The Head of State was speaking when he launched the National Wheat Harvest at Chobe Agrivision Farm in Mkushi farming block in Central Province.

He said wheat is a strategic crop which needs to be supported to ensure that farmers increase farm hectarage and if well supported, can contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product by through exports.

Speaking earlier, Central Province Minister Sydney Mushanga thanked the President for flagging off the 2020/2021 season seed distribution earlier last month.

Mr Mushanga said Central Province produces 50 percent of the country’s cereals and ranks top in agricultural productions.

The Minister said with the construction of Momboshi Dam, the country will in near future stop depending on rain fed agriculture.

He said government in Central Province is set to bring about 2, 106 hectares of land under irrigation following the construction of the dams.

Speaking earlier, Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) Javis Zimba said the 2020 farming season has been challenging to all farmers.

Mr Zimba appealed to government to come to the aid of farmers by resolving the water challenge and other challenges.

“WARMA and ZEMA have caused a lot of problems to farmers because they penalize those drilling borehole including simple ones. As you may be aware, water has been a challenge in Mkushi here,” the ZNFU president stated.

The ZNFU leader also called on the government through the Food Reserve Agency to revise the purchasing process of maize so that farmers can release their maize to the agency.

He said government can only manage to meet the 1 million metric tons of maize target if the buying price is adjusted upward.

And in his remarks, Minister of Agriculture Michael Latambo said the Food Reserve Agency will manage to purchase the targeted 1 million metric tons of maize at the price of K110 per 50kg bag of maize.

Mr Katambo said government consulted all stakeholders when coming up with the purchasing price for maize and wondered why the farmers union had started opposing the move.

He said farmer are supplying maize to Government and getting their money instantly which he said is good for farmers.

And Mkushi Farms Association Chairperson Dereck Nicolle said the coming of the President to the farms shows that farmers of the Mkushi are doing things right.

Mr Nicolle informed the President that farming activities in Mkushi is at the verge of collapse due to the numerous challenges affecting farmers during this season.

“Agriculture in Mkushi is in deep trouble, we are crying. But we are confident that the government will listen. Commercial farmers will have job losses. We are in trouble from the banks as most farmers defaulted on loans due to financial crisis. We as farmers are at the verge of collapse,” he said.

Mr Nicolle told the President that Mkushi is also facing water scarcity which has affected both the small scale and commercial farmers.

He appealed to government to help the province with water dams like they have done by constructing Momboshi dam and others in different provinces.

He said government can also invest in water canals to drive water from Luapula to Mkushi where water is desperately needed.

He noted that for farming activities to be sustained in the province, there is need to have irrigation systems that can only be done if water is available.

Earlier President Lungu was taken to a field visit of the Avocado plantation at Cropit Farm within Mkushi.

United Party for National Development (UPND) has challenged President Edgar Lungu to set up a Commission of Inquiry in privatization and explain his role in the privatization of Zambia Cold Storage Board Limited and explain to what happened to the employees’ assets.

In a statement on his Facebook page, the UPND leader said that he is ready to explain his role in the privatization exercise for the umpteenth time, in his capacity as a consultant during the process and assured Zambians that he never betrayed them in any way, and that had he done that,  successive Governments would have thrown me in jail by now.

Below is the full statement

Fellow Zambians,

Ever since I stepped into the political arena, a lot of attempts by political competitors and some media houses have been made to malign, discredit and tarnish my name in an attempt to send me into some form of political oblivion, while I adopted the old adage that silence is golden.

Recently, the nation witnessed an age-old political debate that was instigated by a politician sponsored by Mr. Edgar Lungu and the Patriotic Front, and given unlimited media coverage on my role in privatisation, over a matter that has since been handed over to the courts for determination. This was a malicious campaign meant to pit me against the Zambian people.

I have realised that when dealing with characters who have no sense of shame and moral compass in life, silence is no longer golden. Consequently, I held a press conference in which I dispelled those allegations with documentation that I never sold any mine; I only advised the divestiture of a Hotel Mosi o Tunya and never bought any shares at the time of privatization; and the Kabulonga house I alleged to have bought as part of my privatisation involvement never belonged to Lima Bank, and that I bought it prior to privatization of Lima Bank.

This week however in Kasama and Mwansabombwe, Mr. Lungu continued to tell Zambians lies about my involvement in the privatization exercise, and called for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry. I want to say I heartily welcome that move urgently, for it will also give Mr. Lungu a chance to explain his role in the privatisation exercise, and what happened to the assets and former employees of Zambia Cold Storage Board Limited.

Further, I ask that Mr. Lungu also sets up a Commission of Inquiry to the following matters because they are of national importance;

1. The people of Zambia would like to know how Mr Lungu increased his wealth from about K2million in 2014 (according 2015 Presidential Elections declarations), to about K22million in 2016. His salary and allowances do not align with such a leap in his fortunes.
2. The selling of KCM after the 2001 elections;
3. Privatisation of Zamtel as well as the Compensation given to “Libya” later;
4. The procurement of 42 reconditioned Fire Trucks for $42m;
5. The Purchase of a Gulfstream G650 Presidential Jet;
6. The cancellation of a supply of a Sukhoi Superjet despite Government making a down payment;
7. Procurement of ambulances at the cost of $288,000 per unit;
8. The $17m contract awarded to honeybee Pharmacy to supply expired drugs;
9. The $1.2 billion Lusaka/Ndola dual carriage way;
10. The Mukula cartel allegations;
11. The successive FIC report findings;
12. The allegations of terrorist financing in East Africa;
13. The COVID-19 funds and materials donated or allocated to the Ministry of health and Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit; and,
14. The cartel supplying very expensive fuel to Zambia even when the global price is reasonably low and how those businessmen are bankrolling PF campaigns and State House.

As HH, I am ready to explain my role in the privatisation exercise for the umpteenth time, in my capacity as a consultant during the process. I can assure my fellow citizens that I never betrayed them in any way. Had I done that; successive Governments would have thrown me in jail by now.

Mr. Lungu is under pressure and I can only sympathise with his wild accusations. I also sympathise with him as he finds himself in a hopeless situation where he has no solutions to the many problems facing this country which is in the throes of an economic meltdown. He can save face by stepping down, and will go down a more honourable route of one of the few Presidents to have resigned in Africa.

Parliament has approved the motion to restore on the Order Paper, the Constitution Bill number 10 in Parliament and other Bills that were not concluded before the House adjourned sini die.

Vice President Inonge Wina moved a motion to restore on the Order Paper, the Constitution Bill number 10 in Parliament.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Jack Mwiimbu, Deputy Chief Whip Tutwa Ngulube and Justice Minister Given Lubinda debated the motion.

Deputy Chief Whip Tutwa Ngulube said that Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Jack Mwiimbu wqas misleading Zambians about Bill Number 10, adding that PF will be in power with or without Bill Number 10.

Mr Ngulube said that the constitutional issue is something that was widely consulted with UPND MPs joining the meeting in Siavonga to remove anomalies in the constitution and that no one should rush to the Constitutional Court once they lose elections in 2021 if the constitutional issue is not amended.

The Deputy Chief Whip was reacting to Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Jack Mwiimbu who walked away after opposing the restoration of Bill 10.

The Vice President moved the motion in line with Standing Order 126 (1) of the National Assembly of Zambia which has allowed the restoration of Bills presented to the House in the Fourth Sessions of the Twelfth National Assembly.

In her motion, Vice-President Wina said this is because the Bills were not concluded in the last session due to the abrupt adjournment of the House caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Madam Speaker, I beg to move that in terms of Standing Order 126 (1) of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders 2016, this House restores unto the order paper the following Bills.

Other Bills restored on the Order Paper include the National Planning and Budgeting, the National Forensic and the Food and Nutrition.

Also restored are the Patents and Companies Registration Agency and the Landlord and Tenant Act for amendments as well as the National Council for Construction and the Food Reserve Bill.

And Justice Minister Given Lubinda stated that no one should debate any part of the Bill because the debate is simply on the restoration of the Bills on the Order paper and time for debate will come.