President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia said on Wednesday that his government is reforming the agriculture sector to ensure the country’s food security.
The Zambian president stated that the reforms began with addressing past imbalances in a subsidized farming input program known as the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP).
“Fixing FISP is only the beginning, there are more changes to come. The 2022/23 farming season will see more reforms that will make Zambia and Zambians food secure,” he said in a Facebook post.
According to him, smallholder farmers benefiting from the program will now be getting six bags of fertilizer and 10 kilograms of seed, unlike in the past where they only had three bags of fertilizer.
The Zambian leader said all farmers under the program will now be treated equally.
On Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture Reuben Phiri said an audit of the subsidy program is underway to improve it and ensure that it achieves the intended intention.
He said the government has changed the modalities in the distribution of the inputs to ensure equity.
