The National Union for Small-scale Farmers of Zambia (NUSFAZ) says pronouncements by President Lungu that the country needs to work on agriculture as the mainstay will help increase productivity and diversification of value-added crops.

President Lungu, shortly after he was sworn in as Zambia’s sixth President, said the country must promote and sustain agriculture to become one of the main drivers of the diversification programme.
Commenting on President Lungu’s inaugural speech, NUSFAZ president Frank Kayula said it is unfortunate that resources have not been fully utilised, despite the country having various opportunities to promote diversification and agricultural growth among farmers.

“We totally agree with the President. We need to really work on agriculture as our mainstay.
“As a country, if we promote and sustain agriculture to become one of the main drivers of our diversification programme, there are a lot of advantages and we will soon see increased productivity of other crops that have not been fully exploited but have the potential to promote food security and income generation,” Dr Kayula said in an interview on Wednesday.

He urged farmers to take advantage of agriculture, which has a lot of advantages, to grow their businesses and earn income.

He said once fully exploited, agriculture will be one of the leading sectors in creating jobs for the locals and reduce poverty among the people as majority Zambians benefit from agriculture either directly or indirectly.

On the other hand, Dr Kayula said the private sector and key stakeholders in the agriculture sector must continue working with Government to ensure that the country develops a sustained and resilient sector that will spur economic development.