Government has reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring compliance by ensuring farmers who receive inputs in all cooperatives.
Shiwang ’andu District Commissioner Maureen Bwembya says government has therefore no intentions of abolishing the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) but instead will sell at least ten 50 Kg bags of white maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
Ms. Bwembya says the sale of 10 bags of maize to FRA will be mandatory but subject to scrutiny by technocrats in the Ministry of Agriculture.
The District Commissioner was responding to concerns raised by village headmen in Sub-chief Mwaba Nkulungwe who met Friday to discuss the development agenda in the area.
“ The reform to the farmer support programme is intended to ensure farmers’ resilience to natural disasters that continue to affect the country and have not spared the Shiwang’andu district, “ she said.
During the meeting, village headmen Moses Kapeya from Thomas village in Nyimbwe ward complained over inadequate inputs that farmers received during the 2023/2024 farming season.
The headman mentioned that Muchinga Province experienced lower-than-average rainfall, and most farmers were given medium-maturity seeds to plant that were not suitable for the rain pattern.
Such differences have affected the yield and proposed that the government relook at the condition and reduce number of mandatory bags to be sold to the FRA to five and 10 as explained by the District Commissioner, he explained.
Shiwang’andu district annually has a total allocation of 5,810 by 50kg bags both D compound and Urea.
And District Agriculture Coordinator Chewe Sichalwe said the distribution of FISP this year will be through the electronic voucher (e-voucher) system.
Mrs Sichalwe also affirmed the possibility of an increase in the fertiliser packs but could not specify saying her office is still waiting for feedback from the Ministry of Agriculture.
She encouraged farmers to be food secure which is the main objective of FISP and not selling to outsiders but to the Food Reserve Agency.
