By NATION REPORTER
MTOLO Phiri, the Minister of Agriculture has urged Members of Parliament to venture into agro dealing because the new dawn administration has introduced a credit window for farm inputs such as fertiliser and seed.
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Mr Phiri said Government secured a matching grant of US$ 15 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for farmers but it would have been sunk if it was given to them directly hence introducing a credit window as banks have come on board with more money.
“Members open agro shops …could we as MPs become agro dealers? We will link you up to suppliers,” Mr Phiri said.
He said this when responding to follow up questions after he responded to a question for an oral answer from PF Mkushi North MP Christopher Chiluya who wanted to know whether Government was aware that farmers under the e-voucher system had not received due to the delay by Government to upload their payment into the system.
Mr Phiri explained that those under the credit window facility, farmers could get eight bags while those who had been receiving six bags were on the direct e-voucher system.
“If you study the two systems – direct and e-voucher, you will realise that e-voucher is better.
We did not take it to remote areas. We have taken it to areas which are relatively advanced in technology such as Lusaka and Central provinces. E-voucher is a good system as it does not force farmers into only venturing into maize but other crops and under the credit facility one can get up to 50 bags of fertiliser if they so wished,” the minister said.
He said Government curtailed the grant in which farmers were supposed to contribute K5, 000 and Government another K5, 000 and instead brought banks on board and introduced the credit window facility.
Mr Phiri said this in response to UPND Kwacha MP Charles Mulenga who said the e-voucher system was dotted with so many challenges and many farmers had problems to understand it well.
Mr Mulenga wondered why Government could not come up with a user friendly system which farmers could easily understand.
Earlier, during matters of urgent public importance PF Pambashe MP Ronald Chitotela said the distribution of fertiliser had been chaotic and pathetic and that Government was deliberately trying to disadvantage Luapula Province a region which is endowed with a good rainfall pattern.
But Mr Phiri denied that the distribution of fertiliser had been chaotic and pathetic.
He said fertiliser had been distributed 100 percent to all provinces.
“There should have been boos on me but there are none because fertiliser is in the provinces. We have heard that opposition MPs have been going round telling people to get the credit window telling them that Government wants to grab the farmers’ land,” Mr Phiri said.
Meanwhile, Parliament yesterday shot down a motion raised by Chienge Independent MP Given Katuta’s private member’s motion to make sign language and braille writing as optional subject in public schools after a division was called but 60 voted against it with 19 voting for the motion.
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