Dear Editor,
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu last month assured farmers that the Patriotic Front (PF) government through the stakeholders will distribute the farming inputs such as seeds and fertiliser to all provinces before the onset of the 2021/2022 farming season. He made the assurance at Malashi village in Mpika during the national agriculture field day.
It is a well known fact that Zambia has placed agriculture at the centre stage of the country’s economy besides manufacturing, mining and tourism.
President Lungu promised farmers that he would engage the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to implore it to put a higher crop marketing price than that of last farming season despite the country having a free market economy where the price of goods and is determined by the forces of demand and supply.
This clearly demonstrates government commitment to improving the welfare of the farmers by putting more money in their pockets.
President Lungu also assured the farmers that FRA would this year pay them ck payment to the farmers will be necessitated by the release of adequate funds to the agency.
However, President Lungu donated two tractors; one to Lewis Mpundu, the host of the agriculture event and another one to Mpika District Agriculture Association to boost their agricultural activities in the district. This is a good gesture as demonstrated by the head of State.
The country is poised to record the bumper harvest this year owing to the good agriculture policies by the government coupled with the good rains that were experienced during the 2020/2021 farming season. The late distribution of the farm inputs in the past negatively affected the crop yield in the country. This is no longer the case as a matter of fact.
The interaction of the head of State with farmers like what recently took place in Mpika should be replicated to other districts within the country. Ultimately, this will make the farmers appreciate what the government is doing in improving the agriculture sector particularly crop farming.
ELEMIYA PHIRI,
Lusaka.
