By JACKSON MAPAPAYI
TRADITIONAL leader has predicted that there shall be no bumper harvest for the 202/2023 farming season because government has failed to deliver and distribute fertiliser on time.
Chief Matebo of the Kaonde people of Kalumbila has warned that a bumper harvest was unlikely to happen in Kalumbila and other surrounding areas because of failure by government to deliver and distribute of farm inputs for the 2022/2023 farming season.
Chief Matebo has observed that his chiefdom and the district at large was likely to suffer from poor yields because fertiliser had not been delivered to many parts of North-Western Province.
Chief Matebo has attributed the non-delivery and distribution of the farming unputs in his region to the inadequacies surrounding the distribution of fertiliser for the 2022/2023 farming season.
Some companies that have been contracted to supply, deliver, warehouse and distribute fertiliser have either delivered zero or no more than two percent where distribution has commenced.
The Ministry of Agriculture has since written to the suppliers expressing disquiet on the delay for the distribution of fertiliser and has given an ultimatum of no later than November 30th for the companies to finish the distribution.
However, the traditional leader stated that the new system introduced by the government in the input distribution was not working not just his subjects but the entire district.
“Yes, we have a challenge in my chiefdom as we have not yet started receiving fertiliser. We are not spared with the delay of the distribution of the farming inputs and this is likely to affect the yields,” said Chief Matebo.
He disclosed that he had tried to engage both the district and provincial agriculture offices but that the feedback was quite disturbing and worrying considering that the rains had started.
“And from the feedback, one can tell that we are not going to record a bumper harvest in the district because fertilizer has delayed to come,” he said.
Chief Matebo has suggested that Government should revisit the system it had introduced in order for farmers to have access to the inputs.
He wondered why some farmers had been removed from the beneficiary lists even when they still need the government’s support.
“All this is because of lack of system that can allow the flow of information to the farmers on the ground,” Chief Matebo said. He has however appealed to his subjects not to panic as he is still engaging relevant authorities on the matter.
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