Chongwe farmers give Govt kudos

Chongwe farmers give Govt kudos

Lusaka, March, 15, 2015, ZANIS…Some Chongwe farmers have praised the Patriotic Front (PF) Government for the strides it is making  to improve the agriculture sector in the country.

The farmers are optimistic that even this year the nation will record a bumper harvest much to the happiness of the farming community in Zambia.

Joseph Mpuluka, a Chongwe  Small Scale farmer said people should be appreciative of what government is doing in the agriculture sector.

He said this in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today.

Mr Mpuluka stated that even though a lot needs to be done in order to improve the agriculture sector, Government needs a pat on the back for the achievement they have recorded from the time they came into power in 2011.

He noted that Zambians need to give credit where it was due instead of always criticising government even in areas where it has recorded tremendous achievements.

And Chipuka Mwale, a commercial farmer in Chongwe also told ZANIS that the Fertilizer Support Programme (FISP) offered to small scale farmers needs to be revisited.

Mr Mwale said some small farmers benefit from the FISP programme but instead end up re-selling the commodity to other people.

He said government was spending a lot of money to empower small scale farmers and added that some of the farmers who are given the commodity have no knowledge of farming.

Mr Mwale said demands from other stakeholders calling for the revision of the scheme should be embraced by government so that right people are given the commodity.

He also paid tribute to government for the efforts they are making in the agriculture sector despite some few bogus farmers trying to frustrate its efforts.

Mr Mwale said he was optimistic that government will heed to advice from the stakeholder’s in order to revamp the sector to acceptable levels.