Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Maxson Nkhoma – CSPR Eastern Provincial Coordinator
The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction in Eastern province has called on President Edgar Lungu to declare the 2017/2018 farmer input distribution exercise through the e-voucher system as a national disaster without any further delays.
CSPR Eastern Province Coordinator Maxson Nkhoma has noted with disappointment that the current happenings in the agriculture sector do not reflect any sign of government’s commitment towards walking the talk on economic diversification as alluded to by the President in his address to Parliament in October 2017.
He recalls that the head of state is on record when he addressed Parliament to have said that his government was going to diversify the economy from mining dependence to the agriculture sector by increasing government support towards the sector.
Mr Nkhoma says CSPR is particularly concerned that the government has not started the distribution of farming inputs to farmers as of today, 12th December, 2017 a month after the rains had started, and when the minister of agriculture had addressed Parliament and indicated that the farming inputs distribution would start by 15th October, 2017.
He says the delay in the distribution of farming inputs to farmers is a worse disaster when compared to army worms which can be easily eliminated using pesticides.
Mr Nkhoma states that in view of numerous cries and complaints from the farmers over delayed farming inputs and late payment by the Food Reserve Agency, it has become increasingly very important for the President to address the nation and declare the 2017/2018 farmer input distribution exercise a national disaster so that emergency farmer rescue interventions can be explored.