37 thousand farmers fields affected by floods-Mtolo

Agriculture Minister, Rueben Mtolo has disclosed that over 37 thousand farmers field in various parts of the country have been affected by floods in the 2021-2022 agricultural season.

This translates to a total of 36,640 hectares.

Delivering a ministerial statement Mr Mtolo cited luapula, Muchinga, northern, northwestern, southern, Lusaka, Eastern and Copper Belt as provinces which experienced floods.

He says maize, sunflower, soya beans and cow peas are some of the crops that have been affected.

The Minister has further revealed that provinces which were hit by dry spells at the start of the agricultural season include, eastern, northern, and northwestern.

He says in view of the unfortunate situation the ministry working closely with other government’s wings, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit-DMMU under the office of the vice president to provide relief in the affected areas.

Mr Mtolo has since reiterated the need for farmer to adopt smart agriculture practices that the ministry is promoting.

And Mr. Mtolo has revealed that as at 28th February, the country’s current consumption is estimated at 120, 000 metric of tons of maize per month.

He says the available maize stock in the country is sufficient to cover a period of not less than 14 months.