SAFADA advises farmers on govt support
By AARON CHIYANZO ZAMBIAN farmers should stop being over reliant on inputs from government if they are to maintain a sustainable production throughout the year, Small Scale Farmers for Development Agency (SAFADA) executive director, Boyd Moobwe has advised.
And Mr Moobwe warned that the country risked facing severe food shortages in future if some of the calamities that had befallen the agriculture sector were not quickly rectified.
He observed that farmers in Zambia had become too depen- dent on government support and that now could not stand on their own.
The executive director told the Daily Nation that government was only supposed to supplement the efforts made by farmers not giving them everything.
Mr Moobwe said that farmers get engulfed with a lazier- faire attitude when they have to wait for handouts from government.
He charged that farmers should stop being over reliant on inputs from government if they were to maintain a sustainable production throughout the year.
Mr Moobwe said that farmers should proactive throughout the year and not to wait for a particular farming season.
“I know farmers do not like it when we tell them not to be too dependent on government inputs. They have to be independent, do the most part of production on their own then government only supplements the efforts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Moobwe urged government to work with local farmer support organisations to ensure that farming activities across the country were boosted.
He said that organisations such as SAFADA were ready to brainstorm with the Ministry of Agriculture on issues pertaining to farmers in the country.
Mr Moobwe said the agriculture sector in the country risked being on a standstill if government did not come up with robust deliberated policies to enhance the sector.
He warned that the country risked facing severe food shortages in future if some of the calamities that had befallen the agriculture sector were not quickly rectified.