By ROGERS KALERO
THE UPND government should not abolish the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), but should instead review it and find a better way of managing it to ensure the vulnerable, but viable farmers are helped to grow if the country’s food security is to be guaranteed,” the Patriotic Front (PF) has said.
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Christopher Kang’ombe, the PF youth chairman said Zambia, under the new dawn administration should not abolish FISP simply because the programme has not been properly managed.
Mr Kang’ombe, who is PF Kamfinsa Member of Parliament, said, instead of making a decision to abolish the FISP, Zambia under the new dawn administration should go back to why FISP was initially set up and who was targeted under the programme.
“Zambia should not abolish FISP simply because the programme has not been properly managed. Let us go back to why FISP was initially set up and who was targeted under the programme. Let us review the programme as opposed to abolishing it. There is enough research that has been done to aid a review of the programme and improve its effectiveness.”
“From a public policy point of view, the problem is not the programme, but its management. So I return the view that let us reform FISP and not abolish it. Zambia will always have farmers at the lowest level that need to be helped to grow to the next level while ensuring that food security is guaranteed for such a targeted group,” Mr Kang’ombe said.
Mr Kang’ombe has also said those countries which were telling Zambia to do away with subsidies have actually been giving their citizens subsidies in various forms.
He said countries which were telling Zambia to do away with subsidies when themselves have been giving subsidies to their own citizens do not mean well for Zambians and those in authority must think twice about such advice.
“In their book of Re-inventing Government, ‘Osborne and Gaebler wrote on subsidies on page 334. The United States has been giving out subsidies to its citizens in selected sectors. The UK has been doing the same in so many of its sectors for so many years.”
“Not only are all Americans eligible for subsidies at some point in their lives, most receive them. Social security is a subsidy. Welfare is a subsidy. Our farm programmes provide subsidies. So why should certain countries tell us not to give subsidies when them are giving subsidies to their own citizens,” Mr Kang’ombe said.
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