You were crying for contracts, work hard and deliver the fertiliser – HH
By Kombe Chimpinde Mataka
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has warned public workers that those that will stand in the way of delivering for the people in 2023 will be put aside.
He also says maize barns must return in villages.
Speaking when he visited Alpha Commodities fertiliser and seed storage sheds in Southern Province on Sunday, President Hichilema said ministers and other government officials must work as a team to
ensure farming inputs reach beneficiaries.
“Thank you so much Zambians for your patience, for your understanding.
We are here for you. We left our work to work for you. I call upon all our colleagues, ministers, mayors, chairpersons,
councillors, PSs 2023 nothing will be allowed in the way of delivering for the people of Zambia. You sit on the way, we will put
you aside. Let us all work as a team,” he said.
President Hichilema also told farming input dealers to ensure they work daily to reach farmers.
“We promised you that we would begin giving livestock loans, step by step we are getting there. You dealers, you were crying for contracts, this government is giving
more to those who were denied those opportunities. Prove yourselves. Work hard,
deliver the fertiliser. There is no saying ‘it is weekend, no! Your sheds must be open. I repeat throughout,” he sad.
And the Head of State says maize barns were ideal for food security.
“Maize barns must return in the villages. That is the President’s guidance. I wouldn’t say instruction because I have no powers but I
can only persuade you. Let the maize barns come back in our homes. You grow enough for food, the excess you sale to take care of your other needs in the family. That is what this government is all about,” he said.
President Hichilema assured that distribution of farming inputs would be done early in 2023.
“Next year I said it already, you will see a different approach to farming input support. We will start early no question about it. In
fact once we finish for this year’s season, we start for next year. That is our commitment to you,” he said. “But next year, we are moving to what we call Agriculture Support
Programme (ASP)because farming is not just fertiliser and seed. Agriculture is fertiliser, is seed, is soya beans. It is groundnuts but
it is also other things. Genuine farmers, medium sized farmers, we want to begin to
look at them on maybe a different programme for fertiliser and seed so that those who able to access inputs at a different grade can access
it commercially. Grow their crop and be able to pay back to financial institutions. So we want to include those farmers because
there are more than three million farmers. We are taking care of 1,024,000. We added on ourselves 24,000 more and the [PF] government they were doing one million but its not enough. We must take care of the other farmers and give facilities that are different to
able farmers, bigger farmers, commercial farmers also. We also want to see agriculture trees…cashew nuts, macadamia. We already have markets looking for these crops.”
And Alpha Commodities Southern region manager Charles Chalo said he was
grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Southern Province through fertiliser distribution.
“At close of day yesterday (Saturday), D-compound we were moving at 70 per cent.
Urea, we were at 45 to 50 per cent. So we were instructed to finish giving D-compound by 31st (December), if we are late by 5th January.
So we are on course. All the fertiliser is here as you can see your Excellency,” said Chalo. “Farmers are busy collecting in blocs. The balances of D compound, you have seen trucks parked out there. It is coming in. We have a robust system of loading 50 trucks into
the province so that we can finish up by 31st December but even the Urea is in Lusaka. It is coming.”
