The Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Elias Mubanga, has announced that the government has earmarked loans to support small-scale farmers in their efforts to increase maize production. Minister Mubanga emphasized that by bolstering maize production among small-scale farmers, the country can enhance its food security.
The minister made this statement during his visit to Chinsali District, where he called on the Permanent Secretary of Muchinga Province, Henry Mukungule. Minister Mubanga highlighted that his ministry is committed to collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that cooperatives and small-scale farmers are better equipped to cultivate larger maize harvests.
In response, Senior Chief Nkula of Chinsali District commended the government’s dedication to supporting farmers in their maize cultivation endeavors. During a meeting at his palace with Minister Mubanga, Senior Chief Nkula expressed his appreciation for this initiative, emphasizing its potential to ultimately reduce the cost of mealie meal, a staple food in Zambia.
The move to assist small-scale farmers in boosting maize production is not only crucial for improving food security but also for stabilizing food prices and ensuring the well-being of Zambian citizens. The government’s commitment to these goals is evident in its efforts to support those at the heart of the nation’s agricultural sector.
Chipantepate governance zoona, FISP reduction, CASP farmblocks, LOANS from Banks & Boosters from Small scale business ministry, ZNS milling, ZAF farming. Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Small Business, Ministry of Defense, FRA. All shooting in the dark just for the simple maize production. You guys are all jokers! A classical example of how to kill Agriculture. I have to write a paper on this.
If something ain’t broken don’t fix. You should have increased even further the number of FISP beneficiaries who cultivate 80 percent of the maize and subsidize farming inputs i.e weedkiller, fertilizer, seed, farming implements chapwa.
Enjoy your incompetence now everyone bringing their own stupid solution adding to the confusion. No wonder Commercial Farmers stopped growing Maize.
But what are the conditions to those loans.
Styupid question. It doesn’t
matter with Conditions.
Conditions are you idyots who have akaso and refuse to pay back.
More money down the drain …… as only maybe 25% will be repaid
Instead of just continue buying more fertilizers and weekiller, seed and give small scale farmers directly. Expand FISP. Awe! The spirit of failure has taken hold of them.
By increasing last year’s FRA’s maize floor price, you committed political and economic suicide. FISP is for FRA as much as it is for peasant farmers. You have opted to kill FISP: preferred CASP. Now it is GRZ loans. While you are at it, fire fighting, cost of living is not reducing even when inflation rate is halved from 25 to 12 or dropped to 8%. Sweeping subsidy removal is the New Dawn failure. Harness the fuel confusion. Stop this loan madness. Please get reset.
Even in the days of NAMBOARD, commercial farmers never sold their maize to a government agency. They cultivate maize for their stock feed. It’s small scale farmers that feed the nation. Therefore, FISP is an instrument for national food security. There’ll be hunger because the UPND want experiments.
Ayatolla is one of the independent thinkers there is loitering around.
GRZ lied that they increased maize price to bring on board other (commercial) farmers. FRA carters for peasants. FRA is not well funded to buy all the government maize from farmers. Increasing grz funded maize price from 180 to 280/ 50Kg bag was a leathal mistake. A judgement error. ZNS is subsidising consumption. FISP subsidises production. Which one is better?
@My Zambia, the UPND have failed because they’re seeing everything through the PF lenses and their paranoia to undo all their predecessors did. LPM tried with the Burton family but his winter maize project failed lamentably. Commercial farmers grow a lot of maize and soyabeans but it’s for their stock feed. They don’t queue at FRA to sell their produce. So whoever advised HH that commercial farmers will feed the nation is a witch
Thinking the bygone PF is the reference point as they aspire to their highest point is the biggest weakness. As for the newly introduced loans, we await witnessing burial, at Leopards Memorial Park, of such a brought-in-dead policy.
We have managed to produce bumper harvests on FISP. What has let us down is poor marketing strategy.
How about allowing us to export under an organized systems. That we will have enough cash to continue contributing to the national food reserve.
Kikiki the signs of failed presidency . We warned you that hh lacked experience. Here we are today. Pf will have alot of cleaning up to do when we win in 2026.
PF has no chance it may not even exist seeing in party fighting has started again
What guarantee is there this so called loans will be repaid? We have had so many such revolving schemes which have failed due to non payment.