– Govt delivers 7300 by 50kgs bags out of fertilizer to Luwingu district

Govt delivers 7300 by 50kgs bags out of fertilizer to Luwingu district

Luwingu, August 17^TH, 2014 – ZANIS – Government says that only 7300 by 50kgs bags out of expected 22,000 basal dressing fertilizer has arrived in luwingu district of the Northern Province.

Luwingu District Commissioner Mambwe Katontoka  says only 7,300 by 50 kg bags of compound (D) fertilizer adding no seed and top dressing fertilizer has been received in district so far.

Mrs Katontoka has appealed to the ministry of agriculture and livestock to speed up the delivery of farm inputs before rains in the district because luwingu in one of the districts in the province which starts receiving rains as early as October.

ZANIS reports that the District Commissioner said this in an interview in Luwingu District yesterday.

Mrs. Katontoka said the district expect to receive 44, 000 by 50kg of both compound (D) and top dressing fertilizer for 2014/2015 farming season.

She further said that district is expected to receive 200 by 10kg of upland rice seed, 1,112 by 10kg of ground nuts seed and 11, 000 by 10kgs seed of maize respectively.

Mrs. Katontoka expressed optimistic that top dressing fertilizer and seed will be made available as soon as possible in order for the department of agriculture to commerce distribution exercise of farm inputs to the farmers in the area.

In another development Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has bought over 21, 359 by 50kg bags of white maize from the small scale farmers in luwingu district of the Northern Province since the exercise begun on 1^st August,  2014.

Mrs Katontoka said the programme of buying maize is going on smoothly in all the satellite depots in both constituencies of Luwingu District.

She said farmers have continued receiving their dues through national savings and credit bank.

Meanwhile a survey carried out in the nearby bars found farmers enjoying, drinking bottled beer cleaning their throats after a one year hard work.

“It’s our time we are drinking castle and Mosi, yes we have been drinking illicit beer for the past one today is our time, another round bar man castle and Mosi please,” shouted one farmer.