“The Challenges We Have Now Could Have Been Avoided if the Minister of Agriculture listened” – Kampyongo
Lusaka 29th June 2024
Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament, Hon. Stephen Kampyongo, yesterday addressed the Vice President of the Republic with pointed remarks concerning the current food security crisis. He expressed deep concerns over the government’s past decisions regarding the export of maize stocks.
“On this floor of this august house, we lamented, we advised the government and you the Vice President not to entertain the thought of exporting the main stocks that we found, which were in storage for about three years because of the partial droughts that we experienced in the past,” Hon. Kampyongo stated.
He underscored the significance of these stocks, which had been preserved to mitigate the effects of adverse weather conditions.
Critiquing the President’s recent remarks that hunger can be biblical, Hon. Kampyongo said
“Madam Vice President, we were assured by our colleagues, the Ministers of Agriculture and Commerce, that we were food secure,” he noted, expressing frustration that these assurances have not materialized into food security.
The Shiwang’andu MP emphasized that the current challenges could have been avoided.
“The challenges we are going through now could have been avoided if indeed this house performed its role of ensuring that people’s food security is guaranteed,” he said. “We don’t even know where we are going to get grain to distribute under the disaster management.”
He concluded with a critical question, highlighting the perceived lack of foresight in the government’s actions.
“Do you still think it was wise for the two colleagues to deplete the main stocks which they inherited by exporting the subsidized maize from our farmers when we didn’t know how the weather patterns were going to unfold?” Hon. Kampyongo asked, urging the house to reflect on the consequences of these decisions.
Hon. Kampyongo’s remarks underscored the need for strategic planning and responsible management of national resources to ensure food security and preparedness for future adversities.
Listening to who, Kampyongo; you are not the type of pipo to listen to. Better to have these challenges than advice coming from pipo like you. Please give us a break.
If only you had paid the farmers and if only you did not leave the treasury empty, the the challenges we are facing could indeed have been avoided. Your colleagues had nowhere to start from, the coffers were completely dry. So selling the maize stocks and pay the farmers in readiness for the for the next season was the best, easiest and fastest option. Don’t worry and overdramatize the hunger crisis, Bally will fix it, insala ba Hon nindiminwa, it will soon be over.
Well spoken, if only they had paid the farmers for that maize, Bally would not have had to sell it to raise the money required to pay them. If only they had paid the financiers of the country’s petroleum products, the fuel price would be manageable by now. If only if only will take us nowhere. The govt is working day and night to clean up the mess you left ba Kampyongo!
Temporary problem kampyongo you failed to pay farmers apart from that all PF criminals you are very lazy no one with farm good at talking.
Water unde the bridge Bain we. If we had normal rains we would have a bumper harvest. Gloating over your failed govt will not develop this country. If you had not concentrated on enriching yourselves, we would not be in this mess. You and your loyalists are not suffering, you are all living in luxury but pretending to be fighting for “ordinary” poor Zambians.