GOVERNMENT has finished the tendering process for the supply of fertiliser under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) for the 2012/2013 farming season.
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development Emmanuel Chenda said Government concluded the tendering process last week and will this week announce successful bidders that will be engaged to supply fertiliser under the FISP.
He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the distribution of fertiliser and seed to farmers will soon commence to avoid delays.
Mr Chenda said Government will monitor the distribution exercise and ensure that the inputs allocated to provinces reach designated depots and targeted farmers in a timely and transparent manner.
He said Government will work round-the-clock to ensure that the fertiliser and seed reach targeted farmers before the onset of the rainy season.
“We are happy as a ministry that we concluded the tendering process last week and we will this week announce the successful bidders which will be engaged to supply fertiliser under the FISP.
“We will closely monitor the whole process and ensure that the distribution of farm inputs is done in a more transparent manner. We don’t want corruption in this process,” Mr Chenda said.
He said Government is aware of the challenges faced in the distribution of farm inputs in recent years which made it difficult for many farmers to access the commodities.
Mr Chenda said Government will not allow a situation where unscrupulous business people cheat peasant farmers that they would cheaply supply them with seed and fertiliser.
He said Government has put in place measures such as the formation of camp fertiliser committees to ensure that inputs reach intended beneficiaries throughout the country.
Mr Chenda said through FISP, many parts of the country are now recording increased crop yields.
The minister said he is happy that the FISP is contributing to enhanced national food security and that Government will continue supporting farmers to ensure that Zambia becomes a food basket in
southern Africa.
Mr Chenda urged farmers to take advantage of the FISP to grow more food for their consumption and for sale to the Food Reserve Agency.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
AND ENSURE THAT THERE’S A SIMPLIFIED STRUCTURE FOR REPORTING ANY MALPRACTICE IN THE WHOLE PROCESS OF LOGISTICS AND ISSUANCE OF THE INPUTS.
If no one is benefiting from the importation of fertiliser then we should see more and more being produced by NCZ which can produce if properly managed and recapitalised. MMD did not want local production because they were seriously benefiting from import deal where much of what was supplied was air rather than fertilzer
Let’s hope it’s not the usual two companies.I.e Omnia and Nyiombo..this business should be shared.Otherwise it’s the same old story.The Post editorial for Friday the 3rd spoke about Fertilizer corruption.
Mr. Minister I quote a few words in the last statement ‘to grow more food for their consumption and for sale to the Food Reserve Agency’ end of quote. It is such careless statements that creates problems for you. Can FRA buy all the maize grown in Zambia? No. That is why farmers always cry that the government is failing to buy their produce because you have made people believe that FRA is the ultimate buyer of maize. As its name implies it buys only strategic reserves to cushion against any adverse sitautions that commpromise national food security. Moreover, FRA does not even have the storage infrastructure to support massive purchase of maize. You need to revisit the strategy on FRA and its operations
@tingy Ndatana – that is true, FRA is supposed to buy maize for strategic reserves only but like everything else it has been politicised. What is happening currently is that we are subsidising our neighbours. First we give subsidies to farmers and allow FRA to over stock, after which we sell to other countries at below cost of buying not to mention storage costs. We need a strategy that will utilise the maize producer. If we have surplus its better to encourage export of processed maize that to sell maize. South Africa in most case we have a deficit refuse to sell us maize in preference for value added products (m/meal, feed etc).
Make minds changes and acquire every one of the interest you would like together with the Christian Louboutin Uk imitation squeezes