Kambwili in seed, fertilizer distribution protest

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 09:43:29 +0000

By Bennie Mundando

ROAN Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili on Friday stormed Luanshya Municipal council to halt the distribution of seed and fertilizer donated to small-scale farmers in the area by CMMC Luanshya Copper mines saying it was his office which had the mandate to do so. The 100 bags of fertiliser and 50 packs of seed worth K39,000 were delivered to the council on Friday by MCCM Luanshya Copper Mines to help farmers, especially those who were taking care of orphans, but before sunset, Mr. Kambwili had wrestled the commodities from the local authority. The fertiliser and seed is now marooned at Mwamoneni Investment after Mr. Kambwili and his workers stormed the council premises and went away with the commodity saying he was the rightful person to distribute to vulnerable farmers because he knew them better than any council worker or the office of the District Agriculture Coordinator (DACO). Sources within the council told the Daily Nation yesterday that there has been a tug-of-war between the local authority and Mr. Kambwili in the distribution of farming inputs donated by CMMC Luanshya Copper mines since it began in 2009. The source explained that, due to lack of transparency in the distribution of the donated inputs which were aimed at supplementing government’s Farming Inputs Support Programme (FISP), the company was forced to suspend it in 2014 as the commodities donated were allegedly repackaged and sold on the streets by unknown people. According to the sources, the company then engaged the local authority as a precautionary move to distribute the commodities through the DACO office which had full information on which farmers were not benefiting from FISP yet were vulnerable. However, the decision has not gone down well with Mr. Kambwili who is alleged to have been frequenting the company to complain over the distribution process.