Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has bemoaned the country’s fading agriculture industry.
Jervis Zimba, ZNFU President said agriculture is systematically being destroyed, citing that the country will in next 15 or 20 months be importing maize
“What is happening in the agriculture sector is a complete economic sabotage of the worst kind, agriculture is dying,” said Zimba.
Zimba said President Edgar Lungu has been wrongly advised on the state of agriculture in the country.
“Up to now, you can imagine that the farmers that sold maize to FRA three or four months ago have not been paid,” said Zimba highlighting that there is crisis looming in the agriculture industry.
He further said the e-voucher is a total disaster, citing that to date, the farmers are not redeeming and the government has not put in counter funding for the farmers to start getting inputs.
“One side, FRA is not disbursing the money and the other side, government has not put in funds.”
ZNFU said some farmers have not had no access to inputs, highlighting that farmers that have not planted maize up to the 15th December, their yields will be poor.”
“And again, you can see that we are under the threat of army worms. All these things compounded together, I think we either don’t know where we are going as a nation or don’t know where we are coming as a nation,” Zimba said.
