United Party for National Development (UPND) National Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa says the K150 per bag maize floor price for the 2021 maize marketing season is not economical for the people of the Southern Province and other regions that were subjected to two bags of fertiliser per farmer.
And Mr Mweetwa has appealed to the people of the Southern Province and Mbabala Constituency in particular to remind the PF of the hardships they encountered in the last five years as they go canvassing for votes.
Addressing a mobilisation meeting at Lugwalo Village of Ncheembe ward in Mbabala,Mr Mweetwa said there is nothing for the farmer to celebrate over the maize price as it was not economical compared with other regions whose farmers were given 8 bags of fertiliser during the 2020/2021 farming season.
“Our farmers were given 2 bags of fertiliser with the third one having been bought through the K400 share contributions.In other regions,farmers were being given eight bags of fertiliser meaning that the farmer here in the south had to dig deeper by selling his animals in order to fund his farming activities.But the PF decides to announce a uniform floor price for both farmers.Who among the two farmers is being cheated. We need to rise and show the PF that we are not happy and will not allow to be cheated anymore.Now they want to come to you and seek for votes using Chitenge materials and the same money which they failed to buy your farming inputs”,he said.
The National Spokesperson who is also Choma Central Constituency aspiring candidate told a campaign trail which included Mbabala aspiring candidate Joseph Munsanje and Choma Mayoral candidate Javen Simoloka that the PF has in the last five years committed a number of dehumanising atrocities such as the failure to give the people during the 2019 famine hence the need for people to rise and speak through the ballot.
He reminded the people which included village headmen as well as a member of the Mapanza Royal family of the unexplained gassing incidences as well as the numerous times that they were made to buy one bag of maize regardless of family size using an NRC.
He said these and many other atrocities such as poor animal disease control mechanisms and the continued arrests and character assassinations of UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema should anger the people of Southern Province and Zambia in general into rising and kick out the PF on August 12th 2021.
He assured the people that the UPND government under the leadership of Hakainde Hichilema has already set out an economic recovery plan which include the agriculture sector as it is the bedrock of the people’s wealth.
Mr.Mweetwa has so far held mobilisation meetings in Kazungula,Livingstone, Moomba, Bweengwa,Mbabala and Choma Central Constituencies and is soon expected to leave for the Northern and Eastern blocks of the country in the party’s quest to leave no-one behind with its message.