AIRFORCE TO LAND THEIR PLANES IN A MAIZE FARM AND BEGIN GROWING MAIZE
ZAF gears up for 2023/24 farming season
Following government’s directive to the Defence Force to contribute to national food security, Zambia Air Force (ZAF) has stepped up efforts to implement the directive.
The Deputy ZAF Commander and Chief of Air Staff, Maj Gen Oscar Nyoni visited the ZAF Chisamba Farm on 17 October 2023 to check on the preparedness of the farm for the coming farming season.
The ZAF Deputy Commander commended the Director ZAF Chisamba Farm, Col Filton Siabeta for offering leadership to his staff at the farm and encouraged him to continue on the same trajectory as Command was going to support every effort at the farms to achieve it’s objective.
“Our peace time role is to train for war, the war we are facing now as a nation is hunger and so it is our duty to contribute to the national food basket,” the Chief of Air Staff said.
And speaking during the visit, Director ZAF Chisamba Farm, Col Filton Siabeta assured the ZAF Deputy Commander and Chief of Air Staff that the farm was ready for the coming farming season. He said 100 out of the 331 hectares of land has been cleared and ready for planting. He also said the farm had already supplied the monthly projected 7.5 tones of chickens to the Zambia Air Force Academy (ZAFA) in Livingstone and Kapotwe Chintu Military Training School in Mbala.
The Deputy ZAF Commander also visited the newly acquired ZAF Lufwanyama Farm which is over 1000 hectares.
While in Lufwanyama, Maj Gen Nyoni paid a courtesy call on His Royal Highness, Chief Lumpuma of the Lamba speaking people who expressed happiness at the intentions of the Air Force to develop the area through agriculture.
Maj Gen Nyoni was accompanied by Overseer ZAF Farms and Production, Brig Gen Lloyd Chonya, Chairperson ZAF Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, Brig Gen John Mulenga and other Members General Staff.
Kalemba