No more medas for fertiliser – HH

…promises that he is planning to expand the FISP programme that would ensure all eligible farmers would have to receive adequate fertiliser, seed packs if the UPND is voted back into power

By MUBITA KATETE

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has pledged that there shall be no more sharing fertiliser and other farm inputs by farmers once he is re-elected, promising that his government would expand support under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
And President Hichilema has told Zambians never to return to the dead, stating that those who have died will never come back to the community and begin to live among the living.
President Hichilema has promised that all eligible farmers under FISP would receive adequate fertiliser and seed allocations instead of sharing inputs among themselves in small tins now popularly known as medas.
Mr Hichilema said he was aware that for the past farming seasons, farmers, particularly in the Eastern Province where the sharing of fertiliser was rampant but assured that once re-elected, such occurrences would be things of the past.
Addressing a community engagement meeting in Chama, President Hichilema said his government had identified challenges in the current distribution of farming inputs and would increase support after the elections.
“Farmers should not be sharing fertiliser and seeds in small medas. After the election, we will increase FISP support so that every farmer receives enough fertiliser and seed. Each person will get his or her allocation.
We have seen that some farmers are not receiving enough inputs, and this time around we want every farmer to receive adequate fertiliser instead of sharing it in small tins or bowls,” Mr Hichilema said.
The President appealed to the people of Chama to support the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) in the forthcoming elections, arguing that his administration had prioritised farmers’ welfare.
President Hichilema also reflected on his time in the opposition, saying the political environment had made it difficult for him to campaign freely.
“When I was in the opposition, I could not campaign properly because there was no peace in the country. I urge you not to give your vote to the opposition or independent candidates,” he said.
He said the introduction of free education remains one of his government’s major achievements, describing it as an investment in the country’s future.
The President also criticised opposition political parties, urging voters not to return them to office and accused them of having vandalized the country’s economy.
“The opposition are dead and buried. Do not bring them back. When someone dies, they cannot come back. If they come back, they will only come and lie to you,” President Hichilema said.
And President Hichilema has told Zambians not to go back to the dead because those who have died are often buried and to not return to life to begin living among the living.
When I move out, people say what is he talking about but am sure you have heard yourselves. Don’t go back to the grave, if a person has died, they have died. If the person has died and you have buried, then they remain there and they won’t come back,” President Hichilema said.