By JOHN KOMBE
THE K160 price for a 50kg bag of maize is an insult to the farmer because the UPND government promised to pay the farmer well, says veteran politician George Mpombo.
In an interview, Dr. Mpombo said the UPND promised to transform the agriculture sector from maize pricing to cost of inputs such as fertiliser.
He stressed that the farmers have not seen any effort to fulfill the promises in the sector. He lamented that the K160 for a bag of maize just sums up what he termed as the confirmation of the UPND’s eloquent lies.
The veteran politician said that the UPND government was expected to pay microscopic attention to the shortcomings which it pointed out while in opposition.
“It is unbelievable that the UPND can do the exact opposite of what it promised. It went round highlighting the shortcomings of the previous government, but today it has done the unexpected. Farmers voted for better and cannot be subjected to such a low price for their hard earned grain,” he said.
Dr. Mpombo, who is also a farmer, observed that the uneconomical maize price would negatively affect national food security because very few farmers would like to venture into cultivating a crop that was not yielding benefits.
He said that it was a mockery for the government to propose an uneconomical price when it knows well that the cost of living has skyrocketed.
According to the veteran politician, the fixing of the price was based on defective analysis tools which need to be discarded for the benefit of the sector.
Dr. Mpombo advised the government to go back to its promises and work at delivering to the expectations of the electorate who voted for better things and not what was prevailing.
Dr. Mpombo also pointed out that the promises of a high maize price of up to K250 per 50kg bag and as low price of fertiliser among many things were still fresh in the minds of the farmers.
He said t the government must not take people for granted because they were monitoring their checklists in line with the many promises.
Dr. Mpombo advised the UPND government to prioritise agriculture because this was one key sector that delivered them the election victory. He said ignoring this sector and implementing policies with impunity will erode its already dwindling political fortunes if not well handled.
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