Farmer registration drive bears fruit

AN AGRICULTURE official in charge of the Performance Enhancement Programme (PEP) says the European funded farmer registration exercise is progressing well in Northwestern Province.

Performance Enhancement Programme (PEP) National Authorizing and programme Officer - Agriculture Sector for EU, Khondwani Gondwe said he was impressed with the progress of the farmer registration programme.

The data of the farmer is being captured using the Zambia Agriculture Integrated Management Information Systems (ZIAMES). Captured data would help enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Ministry of Agriculture to deliver better services to farmers.

Mr. Gondwe added that the farmer registration programme would also help government plan and deliver the E-voucher electronic system under Famer Input Support Programme (FISP). This will be done by moving from paper based data collection and create an electronic data base using the Ipad which would easily identify and detect ghost farmers in the system.

Mr. Gondwe was speaking in an interview with National Agriculture Information Service (NAIS) during monitoring and evaluation of the farmer registration process in Mutanda Block, Kalumbila District.

He disclosed that the EU through the PEP project had sponsored the whole training from national up to camp level with logistics, internet bundles and connectivity at a total cost of K8.5 million.

He described his mission after touring Muchinga, Northern, Luapula and North Western provinces as a success adding that Luapula Province had recorded 100 percent work done than North-western were the programme delayed in starting.

“We started our monitoring from Muchinga, Northern, Luapula and North Western provinces. And Luapula is done with farmer registration since they started early. For North-Western Province we delayed in starting but the programme is progressing well except for Chavuma Natsave Bank transactions process has delayed though the exercise has commenced.

“However, we are addressing it, so what l can say is our mission has been a success,” Mr.Gondwe said.

And provincial agricultural coordinator in the Ministry of Agriculture Derrick Simukanzye hailed registration programme describing it as a good initiative which would act as a planning tool for future use by the Ministry of Agriculture in the province.

The PACO said the province received about 230 Ipads which the extension officers were using to capture the data in the field.

Meanwhile, Solwezi District Farmers Association chairperson Merian Kalala has hailed the PEP farmer registration programme.

“This programme is good for us farmers. Such programme will not allow ghost farmers on the system after farmer registration,” Mrs. Kalala said.