- President Lungu said there was nothing wrong in listening to voices of reason and also learn from others, but that he would not entertain distractive voices.
By SIMON MUNTEMBA in Mambwe
I DO listen to sound advice from the opposition but disregard those that are not making sense, President Edgar Lungu has said.
President Lungu said there was nothing wrong in listening to voices of reason and also learn from others, but that he would not entertain distractive voices.
The Head of State was speaking when he inspected a cashew nut field in Mambwe.
Mr Lungu regretted that when there was change of Government in 1991, the cultivation of cashew nuts which was started by the UNIP government was neglected.
He said there was need for any government to continue on any progressive project and improve on it unlike getting rid of everything because not everything could be bad.
The President said Zambia was now learning from Mozambique, Ivory Coast and Tanzania among other countries in the production of cashew nut.
“So, let us learn from others. Evening from the opposition. Let’s not worry about who is giving us idea. I listen even to the opposition when they say something sensible. And if it doesn’t make sense, I ignore,” President Lungu said.
President Lungu said cashew nut production has the potential to transform Zambia because it was one of the high-value crops in the world.
He said promoting cashew nut production was one of the effective measures for supporting alternative livelihoods and climate change adaption.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister, Michael Katambo, said Government had created an enabling environment for players in the agricultural sector.
Mr Katambo said cashew nut production was as a tool for poverty reduction and economic diversification.
And a cashew nut farmer, Ms Misozi Kadewele, urged other farmers to consider venturing into cashew nut production.
Ms Katewele said people should not wait to have a huge chunk of land before embarking on cashew nut production.
She explained that cashew nut was tolerant to adverse weather conditions, and most importantly, it was a high value cash crop which could become a money spinner for farmers.
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