Non-delivery of fertilizer irks Ndola chief

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 11:09:00 +0000

By VIOLET TEMBO

GOVERNMENT has apologized to Senior Chief Mushili of the Lamba people of Masaiti district for non-delivery of farming inputs to the area during this year’s farming season.

The senior chief has complained that Government has neglected his subjects by not distributing urea or D-compound fertilizer for the 2016/17 farming season. Speaking at his palace, the traditional leader said that settlers in his chiefdom had cultivated large tracts of land hoping to receive the farming inputs.

“Our major source of income in my chiefdom is agriculture and it is only when we have fertilizers that we can have a better yield.

‘‘No explanation has been given by the ministry responsible why my chiefdom this year has not received the fertilizer. We are still questioning why we have been left out in the distribution by Government,” he said.

But Copperbelt permanent secretary Elias Kamanga who confirmed the development attributed the failure to challenges of the newly introduced E-voucher pilot project in the agriculture sector. Mr Kamanga said the E-voucher system, which was being piloted in selected districts around Zambia, has been beset by various challenges, leading to delays by some farmers in accessing farming inputs.

He also observed that some of the challenges were a result of arguments among agro dealers who had not been paid by Government on time.

“We apologise to Chief Mushili and farmers under his chiefdom for the delayed distribution of farming inputs. Government is trying its best to ensure that farmers receive farming inputs on time. ‘‘The introduction of a new system always posed challenges but we have learned lessons and it is expected that in the 2017/18 farming season, Government will score a mark,’’ he added.

Mr Kamanga assured the affected farmers that  the 2017/2018 farming season would be better as Government planned to distribute the farming inputs by August this year. He appealed to farmers to exercise patience as Government was making frantic efforts to deliver inputs to them.