LUAPULA CHIEFS HAPPY WITH GOVERNMENT’S MAIZE PURCHASE EXERCISE

Chiefs in Luapula Province have commended the government for commencing the maize purchasing exercise in the area.

In an interview, Chief Chisunka of the Ushi people of Mansa District said it was gratifying to note that government was ready to buy the produce that small scale farmers in the area harvested in the last farming season.

“We are very pleased with what is happening, seeing that the Food Reserve Agency has started buying our maize.  I have been to the depot and the maize purchasing activities are going on quite well,” he said.

Zambia has registered yet another bumper harvest this year, totalling approximately three million metric tonnes, an increase from last year’s 2.8 million metric tonnes.

The rise in the country’s production level has been attributed to the good agricultural policies introduced by the MMD government.

The government has been supporting farmers with input subsidies, particularly for seed and fertilizer, for the last decade.

The number of beneficiaries has since been increased under the leadership of President Rupiah Banda.

This year, the government has assured that it will buy all the maize harvested by all the small scale farmers and payments made on time to allow them produce even more.

Chief Chisunka said farmers in his area are comfortable with the set floor price of maize, standing at K65, 000 per 50 kilogramme bags.

He urged small scale farmers in the province not to rush into selling their produce to briefcase buyers as this would only expose them to unnecessary losses.

Chief Chisunka said Luapula Province had recorded high production levels, and called on the government to continue supporting the small scale farmers.  There are currently over 500,000 small scale farmers benefitting from the government supported Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

And the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has urged farmers to exercise patience and ensure that they sell their produce only to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

The farmer’s union said farmers should not take unnecessary risks by selling their maize to briefcase buyers.

Small scale farmers constitute about 80 per cent of the country’s agricultural sector, and therefore, play an important role in contributing to the stability of the food basket.

Government’s role in ensuring that these farmers are helped with cheaper inputs is vital as this will help lower the cost of production, thereby resulting in increased production.

Zambia’s annual maize marketing season runs from June 1 to September 30, although the government has over the last few years extended the season to the end of October to allow for more farmers to take their produce to designated buying points.  Government is also facilitating the opening up of export markets to take up the excess maize that the country may not consume.