EARLY DISTRIBUTION OF FARM INPUTS WELCOME

Dear Editor, PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu last Wednesday assured farmers that the Patriotic Front government through the stakeholders will distribute the farms inputs such as seeds and fertiliser to all provinces before the onset of the 2021/2022 farming season. Mr Lungu made the assurance at Malashi village in Mpika during the national agriculture field day. It …

EARLY DISTRIBUTION OF FARM INPUTS WELCOME
Dear Editor, PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu last Wednesday assured farmers that the Patriotic Front government through the stakeholders will distribute the farms inputs such as seeds and fertiliser to all provinces before the onset of the 2021/2022 farming season. Mr Lungu made the assurance at Malashi village in Mpika during the national agriculture field day. It is a well-known fact that Zambia has placed agriculture at the centre stage of the country’s economy besides manufacturing, mining and tourism.  President Lungu promised the farmers that he would engage the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to raise the higher crop marketing price than that of last farming season despite the country being a free market economy where the price of goods is determined by the forces of demand and supply. This clearly demonstrates Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of the farmers by putting more money in their pockets. President Lungu also assured the farmers that the FRA would this year pay the farmers on time immediately they sell their crops to the agency. The quick payment to the farmers will be due to the early release of adequate funds too. The country is poised to record the bumper harvest this year owing to the good agriculture policies by the government coupled with the good rains that were experienced during the 2020/2021 farming season. The late distribution of the farm inputs in the past negatively affected the crop yield in the country. This is no longer the case. The interaction of the President with farmers like what recently took place in Mpika should be replicated to other districts. Ultimately, this will make the farmers appreciate what the government is doing in improving the agriculture sector particularly crop farming.  ELEMIYA PHIRI, Lusaka.