By BUUMBA CHIMBULU
GOVERNMENT should not use the electronic voucher (E-voucher) as a panacea for the agriculture sector as it reforms the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP).
As Government contemplates on FISP reforms going forward the E-voucher should not be the panacea because it has become open to abuse, according to the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) president, Jervis Zimba.
Mr Zimba said farmers would like to see the FISP programme be transformed into a dedicated agency capable of financing all agricultural commodities in a sustainable way.
This, he explained, should be done with commercial orientation while ZNFU would engage with the government in 2022 to yield progress in this area.
“In 2021, we saw the early distribution of inputs under the FISP programme which is a good thing and this should be sustained.
“And, as the Government contemplates on FISP reforms going forward, the E-voucher should not be the panacea because it has become open to abuse,” he said in a statement.
Mr Zimba also said one major challenge which emerged in the maize industry this year is that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) became the main buyer of the maize and farmers are faced with huge delays in getting payments from the Agency.
He stated that this was primarily because of a delay in removing the maize export ban hence the private sector could not move in to participate meaningfully in maize marketing as the export market was inaccessible.
“Our take on this is that farmers need to be paid NOW at all costs because farming cannot wait. Any further delay to pay farmers when the rains are here will result in a pronounced dip in production of maize grain in the current season. We therefore appeal to the Government to step in seriously to resolve this agonising issue,” Mr Zimba said.
Turning to the livestock sector, Mr Zimba said the foot and mouth disease (FMD) reached pandemic levels in 2021 as it spread to most provinces.
He indicated that dealing with the FMD decisively was necessary going forward and public private partnership is necessary.
“The Union wasted no time in engaging the new dawn government with workable solutions to propel livestock production and there is need for an action-oriented masterplan to address the issues we have tabled going forward.
“Other livestock industries such as the fish, poultry, dairy, and pigs continue to be badly affected by unfair competition from imported products and the cry is for a level playing
