The UPND government is in talks with commercial banks to explore the possibility of rescheduling loans acquired by farmers, announced Finance Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane. This initiative follows crop failures resulting from drought conditions, prompting the need for financial relief for affected farmers.
During a visit to the Zambeef Mpongwe farm on the Copperbelt, Dr. Musokotwane, accompanied by Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo, highlighted the government’s commitment to addressing challenges faced by farmers. He also mentioned the consideration of rescheduling loans obtained through the government’s credit window initiative.
Dr. Musokotwane further disclosed advancements in the process of importing power to sustain production in the country, crucial for mitigating the effects of electricity shortages on agricultural activities.Dr. Musokotwane lauded Zambeef’s initiatives, including the production of early rain-fed winter maize and infrastructure expansion projects, emphasizing the government’s appreciation for private sector contributions to agricultural development.
Minister Mtolo assured farmers of predictable electricity provision to facilitate irrigation, emphasizing the government’s dedication to ensuring food security in the face of drought.
Commending Zambeef for investing in irrigation and the cultivation of winter maize, Minister Mtolo acknowledged the critical role of private sector players in enhancing agricultural productivity.
However, Brave Simpuki, Zambeef Farm Manager for Mpongwe, expressed concerns about the impact of unpredictable load shedding schedules on farm productivity. He advocated for reduced load shedding periods to optimize agricultural operations.
Earlier, Zambeef Chief Executive Officer Faith Mukutu announced plans to supply 20,000 metric tonnes of maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to bolster food security in the country.
As discussions continue between the government and stakeholders, efforts to support farmers and enhance food security remain at the forefront of national priorities.
Restructuring everything! Now we will be asked to restructure our meals until debt is paid!
Answer of a typical pf cadre.
@Dontcare, we have already been asked to restructure our meals. Did you not hear about cassava meal as proposed by HH and roller meal by Nalumango. We are already being fed GMOs by ZNS. Electricity supply has equally been restructured.
What are these people doing for the small scale farmers? Increasingly, what we see from these *****s is that when the white rich ask, they jump. However, when the small scale farmer have needs, they sit there and allow them to be crushed.
Are these commercial farmers not insured?
There is no GMO maize in the country !!
you will know this if you try and import maize, it has to come with certified documents and it is tested
on arrival
Everything has it’s price, including the certification for GMO. Zambia does not have the capacity to test for GMO on the spot so how can this be managed?
If Zambia has to really develop then we need leaders who have a vision for 100 years…not these leaders who are just interested in fixing things for 5 years using bandaid solutions…and they don’t care of whatever happens after they leave office….HH is only interested in applying bandaid and make things look like Zambia is doing fine..he’s only interest is his term in office….if the next Government finds 60 trillion Kaloba…HH is not interested….if the next Government finds all Banks gone…HH is not interested
So how well did your PF ,UNIP ,MMD do in terms of vision? They all either had none or it was short sighted.
That’s proof you have no vision either other than attacking HH.
Let government come and help clear their loans. Banks also need to pay their employees and other expenses.