Government officials say more than twenty-five thousand vulnerable but viable farmers in Northern Province are projected to benefit from the Food Security Pack programme in the 2025/2026 farming season.

Northern Province Permanent Secretary Bernard Mpundu stated that the programme remains a tool government is using to support vulnerable households and improve rural livelihoods. His remarks were delivered in a speech read on his behalf by Northern Province Assistant Secretary Mwenya during the provincial launch of the programme in Mungwi.

Mpundu said the province raised over K16 million through recoveries from previous programme cycles and that the funds have been channelled back into productive assets. According to his statement, the recovered funds were used to purchase tractors, tillers, treadle pumps, hammer mills and oil expellers among other equipment intended to improve agricultural output.

Mungwi District Commissioner Muma Musonda told attendees that the Community Welfare Assistant Committees are currently developing a K2.2 million community multi-facility, which he said will be the first such establishment in the district. He further indicated that over 1,800 vulnerable households, drawn from 20 of the 100 committees, will benefit from this year’s allocation.

Musonda explained that individual beneficiaries receive a 10 kilogramme bag of cereal or legumes, a 10 kilogramme bag of maize seed, two 50 kilogramme bags of D-compound fertiliser, and two 50 kilogramme bags of urea fertiliser.

Northern Province Community Development Officer Mary Namwinga said the programme has helped many households improve their food security and income capacity. She warned beneficiaries against diverting or selling inputs, stating that such practices work against the intended policy goals.

Mungwi District Council Chairperson Grace Chisanga urged beneficiaries to apply the inputs directly toward production in order to strengthen the impact of the intervention.

Chimanga village beneficiary Kedrick Mulenga said the support has helped vulnerable households push towards self-reliance and stable food availability at household level.

The Acting Paramount Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people commended government for maintaining the programme in his area. He directed village headmen under his chiefdom to monitor its usage and said individuals who misuse the inputs would be removed from the programme and may face prosecution.

The Government has launched two new water supply projects in Zambezi and Kabompo Districts aimed at improving access to safe and clean water for rural communities, under the 2025 Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Collins Nzovu, announced that the projects will be executed by the North Western Water Supply and Sanitation Company Limited (NWWSSCL), with funding provided through the Zambezi and Kabompo Town Councils.

Mr Nzovu said the Kabompo project, valued at K793,000, will focus on expanding water supply networks in Chikata, Farm Training Centre (FTC), INDECO and M8 townships.

“Each township will receive a one-kilometre water distribution network, initially serving about 40 customers, with the target to reach over 100 customers in the medium term, ultimately benefiting more than 1,000 residents,” Mr Nzovu stated.

He said in Zambezi District, the project costing K564,800 under Phase One will involve the construction of a new water supply line from New Market Compound to Masumpu Village.

“This development will add 100 new customers and benefit approximately 600 people,” he said.

Mr Nzovu expressed satisfaction that both local authorities have already disbursed the necessary funds and that procurement processes are underway.

He commended the collaboration between commercial water utilities and local authorities, saying it will enhance the delivery of water and sanitation services through the effective use of CDF resources.

He further urged other councils in North-Western Province and across the country to work closely with water utilities and prioritise water and sanitation projects, particularly in rural communities.

Last year, the North Western Water Supply and Sanitation Company Limited successfully implemented two CDF-funded projects under the Mwinilunga and Manyinga Town Councils, valued at K1.2 million and K715, 000 respectively.

This is according to a statement issued to ZANIS by the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation Principal Public Relations Officer, Prince Chiyuni.

Don Bosco Secondary School, run by the catholic church in Luwingu District is seeking over K1.8 million to complete the construction of an upstairs classroom block at the institution.

School Deputy Headteacher, Prudence Mutale, said the project has been funded using locally sourced resources, with over K1 million already spent to bring the structure to ring beam level.

Ms. Mutale explained that once completed, the new classroom block will help ease pressure caused by the high number of learners at the school, which runs from early childhood education to secondary level and has a population of about 1,200 students.

“We have over a thousand learners, so some pupils have to attend classes in the afternoon. Our goal is to ensure that all learners can attend in the morning,” she said.

Ms Mutale appealed to government institutions and individuals to support the school in completing the project.

Pupils have expressed excitement about the ongoing construction with Grade 11 student David Zulu expressing that the new block will be the first upstairs school building in the district.

“This will be the first-ever upstairs classroom in the district,” he said.

Another pupil, Usher Luboya, said the classrooms will provide a more conducive learning environment and expressed hope that the block is completed soon.

Outgoing Head Girl Catherine Tito urged all stakeholders to contribute toward completing the project and called on fellow students to avoid vandalising school property.

The two-by-three upstairs classroom block will include storage facilities and ablution blocks for both pupils and teachers.

Copperbelt Province Minister, Elisha Matambo, has toured the gutted Chiwempala Market and assured traders that government will enhance security in markets prone to fires.

Mr Matambo also pledged that government will provide financial compensation to affected marketeers to help them resume their businesses.

He warned that stern action will be taken against individuals found responsible for setting markets on fire, describing such acts as criminal and retrogressive.

“It is disappointing that this market has been gutted just days after the district held a peace indaba aimed at ending negative vices such as riots and deliberate market fires,” Mr Matambo said.

And Chingola Mayor, Johnson Kang’ombe, has appealed to residents to embrace peace and unity, urging them to refrain from acts that cause harm to others.

He expressed regret over the incident, which he suspected may have been started by unscrupulous individuals with ill intentions.

The media reports that a fire swept through Chiwempala Market in Chingola yesterday, destroying goods worth large sums of money belonging to over 3,000 traders.

Minister of Agriculture, Reuben Mtolo says the E- voucher programme has brought about transparency, efficiency and has restored dignity among small scale farmers.

Speaking at the E- voucher rollout under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), Mr Mtolo said more than 2,800 new farmers have been put on the system.

He said 90 percent of the farmers under FISP have already redeemed their inputs for the 2025/2026 rain season.

He added that the satisfaction index of the E- voucher is above 80 percent, which means that the programme is a success and has been accepted by the farmers and agro dealers.

Mr Mtolo has since called for more agro dealers to register for the E- voucher programme saying the Ministry of Agriculture will not put a cutting date for registrations.

Speaking at the same event, Minister of Finance and National Planning, Situmbeko Musokotwane, said he is pleased with FISP outcomes.

Dr Musokotwane urged agro dealers to have confidence that they will get government contributions for the inputs.

Meanwhile Dr. Achim Fock, the Country Manager for World Bank, said E- voucher system is a critical part of Zambia’s agricultural sector.

Dr Fock noted that the E- voucher reform system programme has over one million verified farmers in the database and 631 agro dealers.

The E-Voucher programme was introduced in Zambia in 2015 as part of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to promote transparency, efficiency, and farmer empowerment in the distribution of agricultural inputs.

Under the system, eligible small-scale farmers receive electronic cards loaded with a subsidy value, which they can use to buy inputs such as seed, fertiliser, and chemicals from approved agro-dealers of their choice.