HUNGER LOOMING NEXT YEAR – MANGANI
…if UPND does not distribute fertiliser to all parts of the country
By Correspondent
FORMER Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani has warned that hunger will strike next year if the UPND administration does not distribute fertilisers to all parts of the country in the next three weeks.
Mangani has therefore warned Zambians to brace themselves for serious hunger.
Speaking in an interview, Mangani says failure by the Government to distribute fertiliser in the next coming weeks, will plunge the country into hunger situations.
“Unfortunately, if this is not well handled in the next two to three weeks, we should brace ourselves for hunger next year because there will be shortage of food,” the former Home Affairs Minister predicted.
Mangani said it is sad that when the UPND formed Government, they changed the procurement process hence, the delay in the delivery of fertiliser.
According to Mangani, it is illogical for the party that forms government to change everything including good things that were put in place by previous Governments.
” The UPND pronouncements on farming were good and inspiring to farmers. The only challenge I see is that when there is a change of Government. You don’t change everything. You have to have continuity. To try to change everything, you will have gaps like the one we are witnessing now. The all procurement process was disturbed and in the process, the fertiliser distribution has delayed in most parts of Eastern Province,” he said.
He said there is a very big outcry in Eastern Province like many other parts of Zambia because of delays by the UPND Government to deliver fertiliser on time.
Mangani said while some farmers have began receiving fertiliser, the quantity is not enough as they have to share the commodity.
He said it would have been imperative if Government forewarned the farmers that they were going to be sharing fertiliser.
” They could have forewarned farmers that we are cutting the packs of fertiliser, please prepare yourselves. Unlike now where at the eleventh hour, they have to look for money, they have to look for food which is in short supply. There is a lot of panic on the part of farmers,” he charged.