The Socialist Party President, Dr. Fred M’membe, has voiced the concerns of Zambian farmers, who are grappling with extensive power outages that threaten their livelihoods. In a recent post, Dr. M’membe conveyed a heartfelt plea from farming communities to President Hakainde Hichilema, highlighting the critical impact of load shedding on their ability to implement irrigation farming.
Dr. M’membe shared a message from a distressed farmer, emphasizing the dire situation faced by those in the agricultural sector. According to the farmer, the daily power cuts, lasting between 18 to 20 hours, make it nearly impossible to pump water into storage facilities, a process that typically requires 6 to 12 hours of continuous electricity. This has severely hindered efforts to enhance irrigation farming, despite the government’s initiatives.
“Mr. Hichilema, you have come up with good initiatives for farmers to enhance irrigation farming. This is excellent, and we are ready to take up the challenge,” the farmer wrote. “However, if we are being load shedded for 18 to 20 hours daily, just how are we going to access water and pump it into our storage facilities to actualise your irrigation farming dream?”
The appeal also addresses the practical challenges of transitioning to solar power, a solution suggested by President Hichilema. The farmer pointed out that, given the recent drought and subsequent crop losses, many farmers lack the capital to invest in both irrigation equipment and solar energy systems. The high commercial lending rates further exacerbate the issue, leaving farmers without access to affordable credit facilities necessary for such investments.
“Here is a farmer who has lost nearly all his crop harvest due to the drought. He now needs to buy irrigation equipment and invest in solar energy. In the real world, where will such a farmer find the capital to do all these things?” the farmer questioned. “Where are concession credit facilities for farmers, given that we cannot afford the prevailing high commercial lending rates?”
The message from the farming community also criticized the government’s approach to implementing policies and the perceived disconnect between proposed solutions and real-world feasibility. The farmer urged President Hichilema to focus on practical measures that can improve their current conditions rather than discussing long-term plans that seem out of reach.
“Your spoken ideas are great, and I guess that’s why you qualify for many more honorary PhDs, but they seriously lack practicality. Learn to be practical and stop belittling us. We are not interested in 2026 but improving the quality of our lives right now,” the farmer implored.
Mining, Business and Manufacturing services are more affected
And Zesco top management still sitting comfortable in their offices.
Everyone is adversely affected. Nobody has been spared. I took maize ku chigayo only discover that there was no power. I rushed some twenty kilometers to the solar operated chigayo only to find more than fifty bags in cue…. reason? The sun is not consistent due to the floating clouds. I have left my bag in the cue and will call tomorrow.
LOL,sorry Deja Vu,you just cracked me up.
The poultry farmers are among the worst affected.
In most civilised countries when struck by a severe natural catastrophe, in the case of Zambia the drought, you would find political leaders coming together and supporting the government and rallying the population.
Not Zambia though
All the opposition are doing is rubbing their hands in glee using it as an opportunity to bash the government. What a pity.
They are so happy that the drought has come, these people are NOT normal.
M’membe and his crowd are so childish, they need to grow up.
It’s both ways…. while the opposition maybe ” rejoicing” HH, Mweetwa, Mwiimbu cannot accept ideas from other people lest these people get the “credit”….see it’s a lose lose situation.
It is like a goat asking the hyena to look out for its baby while it is gone fetching for food….. you get what i am saying here.. the guy is out of touch with reality
Busy taking fotos with the children of the oppressors, pleasing ba zungu while his own pipo starve, you Africans!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Mentioning oppressors are we the best at doing that ???
Not only here but throughout Africa
Back in 2016 I put forward a proposal that would have alleviated and prevented Load Shedding in Zambia. On this site!
Quite obviously, none of these politicians bothered to read it. They are more interested in scoring political points than actually getting down to the work of solving problems.
They are still as valid today, if not even more so now we have a drought. Food security is a fundamental issue, and for a country like Zambia the fact that we are IMPORTING maize from Tanzania instead of exporting food is a shameful admission of our failures.
It’s long overdue to put this right! We CAN do it. Will those politicians now pay attention?
There are politicians with foresight they live for today only
I still say and will continuing saying Zesco top management has caused this mess by not heeding the low dam levels in the previous 2 years
SACK THEM