Vice President Guy Scott says government will consider subsidizing the production other crops other than maize.
Dr Scott says this is in an effort to promote crop diversification in the country.
He explained that government has been subsidizing maize production at the expense of other cash crops.
The Vice President was speaking on Saturday night when he met the business community in Chipata.
Dr Sscott has also called on the business community to supplement government’s efforts of creating jobs for the people.
And Local Government Minister Nkandu Luo says local authorities are not yet ready to implement the decentralization policy.
Professor LUO says councils need capacity building if they are to effectively implement the decentralization policy.
Meanwhile, Traditional leaders in the Eastern Province have pledged to work with the Patriotic Front government in developing the country.
Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni speaking people says chiefs have an obligation to work with the government of the day.
The traditional leader said this at a breakfast meeting through his representative Chief Nzamane in Chipata on Sunday morning.
Paramount Chief Mpezeni hosted a breakfast in honour of Vice President Guy Scott and his delegation.
And Dr. Scott says government is serious about restoring the authority of traditional leaders.
And Chieftainess Nkomeshya of the Soli people expressed concern about a circular, which was issued last December indicating that no government official will be invited to be guest of honour at traditional ceremonies.
She explained that traditional ceremonies are a fora, where both government and traditional leaders discuss issues.
But Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Inonge Wina says government is ready to dialogue over the matter.
[ZNBC]
That’s the way to go Mr. V.P. Thanks that you are a farmer yourself and I bet you understand these issues better than Hakaivotela Humwine.
#1. You are just jealousy of the Tonga people. They dont entertain BEMBA CROOKS and that is the reason Sata will never get a vote in SP, WP and NW. Even the issue of ITT and Siavonga got nothing to do with better administration but just to spite the people of SP. Those with bad hearts never live long!
#2, what is wrong with u? what #1 said and the name he mention all points at HH not Tonga people, please lets stop this thing of seeing HH as a president for Tonga party, he is suppose to a national leader, therefore criticizing him doesn’t in any way mean criticizing our Tonga speaking brothers and sisters. we are all Zambians, am tired of this tribal talk going on, we have completely gone crazy caught up in this tribal thing, we only see tribes in everything. i suggest we stop this tribal talk and deal with things that affect our lives and how we can help our brothers and sisters living in abject poverty!
The problem with PF is that they are envious of tonga farmers. They think they are putting more money into tonga farmers pockets. Well, let guy try to subsidise pig production and swin fever, but he should remember that Maize is linked to national security. This PF government is digging its own grave
BIG PIPE( by the way which pipe of yours is big-joke) on a serious note i agree with u.its too much name calling based on tribe even on issues that has nothing to do with tribe.if u dont understand what a subsidize is.do some research and come back to contribute intelligently ok.
And livestock sir, time to slaughter your pigs at your farm again and be ‘compensated’ by government.
How convenient!, if maize fails this year and people go hungry at least PF will have the scapegoat of having ‘diversified’ the subsidy. donchi kubeba
#5 another proffessional fault find.am a farmer and my maize is doing very fine.are u sad now!
Useless, you do not subsidise businesses. You subsidize maize because its a staple crop. I hope you will wake up sane one day and realise that government funds are supposed to be used for development and not giving yourself cash. Most cash crops such as tobbacco, cotton, coffee, flowers etc have outgrower schemes that fully fund farmers. Yours and govt’s role mr gay is to put in place policies to ensure that farmers are not exploited. Do NOT BRING BACK YOUR PIG swindling/THEFT STRATEGIES please. Hakaivotela Ha is better
#6, the nation are more interested in the total yield, not your personal lot. You will remember me when you wake up to reality.
Ba VP don’t also forget the jobs for the youths they are still waiting.
am sorry friend lets not get personal.do we need a bumper harvest looking at the way maize has been rotten in FRA sheds.FRA is still struggling to pay farmers who sold maize.worshiping bumper harvest when we cant make better use for it is no good.
The rotten maize will be sold for chicken and pig feeds, nothing for throwing, it will be put to good use.
#9, You really need to be ashamed of yourself. If the storage is not good ,your solution is to discourage farming?
There a lots othings that can be done with the maize,
did you now Zambia has been exporting maize in the last 3 years? And there is still demand out there. Agriculture, if improved can be a major part of the Zambian economy.
With an attitude like yours, we are certainly going backwards. I know you are not alone, PF if full of people like you.
Bwana Scott, policies are judged after they are implemented, we cannot evaluate your intentions sir.
You only have to look at your pig and swine policy during Chiluba to see how things can go wrong or how some people serve their selfish interests at the expense of the wider society. So shiiii, work first and time will come to judge you. At the moment you are still implementing MMD policies bwana sir, and you can only condemn those policies if yours will work better.
Ba Guy scot the swine fever master. Thanx for diversfying into pig slaying compensation. But remember us people in the comboni dont live on pig, but on Nshima and maize which you are discouraging people to grow. I think you are detatched from us the real people. I can see a disconnect on your approach to solving our problems. This is not Scotland. Our stapple food is Nshima not pig you pig
It’s not the fact that the announce things before implementing them, it’s the fact that 48 years later and the only subsidized crop was maize really? The Bemba-Tonga fued goes on stop it. HH is a golden child just like a Bemba like Kambwili. Intact we can use HHs brains to grow our economy if we shifted him towards that end.
@Me:
I am totally at a loss to understand exactly what you find objectionable in what V.P. Guy Scott said or what @igwee wama igwee is saying! Can you please explain what is wrong with subsidizing other cash crops to encourage crop diversification?
@10, Me,
Are you sure maize has alot of market? please dont talk about issues beyond your knowledge. If Brazill the major producer of Maize is finding it difficult to find market where would you zambians get market. Dont think that everyone in this world eat Nshima or Fufu. Try to promote crops such as rice, beans and soya beans which are consumed by every country. Maize is mainly consumed in Africa. Other countries like those in South America, USA, Asia and Europe use it for stock feed and they produce enough to feed animals, excess is exported to Africa.
conti…from #13
Given the current weather patterns, encouraging farmers to diversify their crop portfolios is a very sensible and economically sound way of guarding against total collapse of our farming industry in case of a drought or not enough rains. Different crops flourish in different weather patterns—others do just fine with little rain, some require a lot of rain, and so forth. Which means that farmers would plant crops according to the dictates of the weather, and not just stick to maize even when the weather forecast for a particular farming season do not favor growing maize. But all this requires knowledge and encouragement from the govt to bring the cost of growing other crops down. And that’s what crop subsidies do.
Some of this criticism is really very childish!
13-15, I cant understand why you are pretending maize is not the primary cash crop in Zambia.
If you are old (or read) enough you will know ‘mealie-meal riots’ forced kaunda out of power.
Scott is talking about diversification without even mentioning what crops he is thinking about, now how serious is that? how much money is he hoping to use a subsidy for the ‘other’ crops? Was it budgeted for or he is onloy dreaming? Well, there is nothing in the last budget for such, so why is he hallucinating, loudly?
@16, Me:
Calm down and think my brother! V.P. Scott didn’t say the subsidies will start right away. All he did is put forward what the intentions of this govt are as far as encouraging farmers venture into other cash crops.
And where in this statement did Scott say if they extend subsidies to other cash crops then those for maize have to be discontinued? No where in this statement do I see that! So farmers who currently are growing maize will continue growing and harvesting bumper maize crop—can you see that Mr. Me!? If you are worried about your nshima, millers will still have enough maize to churn out that meali meal—your fears of riots are unfounded! By the way, I was there in the eighties during those riots, so I know!!
Conti…from #17:
And are you sure you want govt to dictate the kind of cash crops farmers should undertake? I thought the markets are the best determining factors of such things. I encourage you to read @KweKwe’s comment at #14, he has told you exactly what you need to know on this point.
Nonetheless, you still have not explained why crop diversification is such a bad idea. I am a patient man, I will wait!
17-18, So you do agree that he said NOTHING substantive. No timing as to when the subsidies start, no mention of the ‘other crops’ in quetsion……for you that will be ‘determined by the markets’.
have there been no markets so far for the names of the crops to be a little bit more clearer?
Kwekwe’s comments appear as though they are from someone who has just come to the realisation he is alone in consuming Nshima. Last year Zambia sold maize to South Africa , Zimbabwe and Kenya. Not bad, now for your ‘other’ crops where is the market?…..’to be determined’ and yet the subsidies should go in now.
@19, Me:
Let me tell you that those of us who have done some farming in Zambia before always appreciated knowing our govt’s intentions as far as supporting that industry is concerned. For you to say V.P. Scott “said NOTHING” by this statement really shows how uninformed you are on these matters. Sure, you can argue academically until hell freezes over, but that will not change the fact that farmers/businesses world over need to know govts’ intentions on such issues so they can plan. I now live here in California (USA), probably the biggest agricultural State in America, and the world for that matter, and I have seen, firsthand, farming politics at play here. America beats everyone else in agriculture because of the huge subsidies given to their farmers to grow all sorts of crops.
cont…from #20
So to suggest that what V.P. Scott said is “NOTHING” is really ridiculous, to say the least. And policies as big as this need some serious considerations and discussions which would most likely involve our Parliament. So you don’t expect Mr. Guy Scott to be judge, jury, and executioner on this matter, do you?
cont. from #21:
If you want Zambian farmers to break into foreign markets that will substantially uplift our agricultural industry, they should start growing crops that are on high demand internationally. Yes, we can sale maize to Kenya, Zim, S/Africa and the like, but that’s a small market. And I dare say we sale to these countries at a cheaper price than if sold say to China! Imagine if we can break into the Asian market by growing high quality rice; imagine what that would do to the financial status of our farmers and govt.
And I seriously believe this is the time we should start thinking about how we are going to reduce our dependency on copper as a pillar of our export economy. Agriculture exports can aid towards that realignment. But maize alone ain’t gonna do it my friend!
@’Yambayamba and @ Me you are both smart and have valid points. Imagine if your brains were the ones in government in place of Kambwili and GBM! Please just take that time and imagine; plus mine, nine CHALE, mama G, Dambisa. U’s in the diaspora need to start growing Zambia and teaching the HUSBANDS that Nshima is not the steeple of meals. Imagine the growth if the table looked like it does in the balanced diet environmental science books.
Monkeys can’t farm naimwe!
i this this expenditure welcome. money going towards production.it will be expensive a programe to maintain but at least for a change someone in PF is trying to do something that will affect the lives of people at large