Respect the law, farmers told
MKUSHI District Commissioner Luke Mwamba has urged commercial farmers in the area to adhere to government rules and regulations in the agriculture sector and the labour industry.
Mr. Mwamba said this when he officiated at the fruit promotion field day held at Cropit Farm in the Mkushi farm bloc.
He said the farmers should by all means strive to stick to rules and regulations on land acquisition and usage; and the environmental impact resulting from their farming activities.
Mr. Mwamba further reminded the farmers to honour statutory social security obligations like pension contributions, workers’ compensation, and respect the labour laws. He said Zambia is endowed with natural resources ideal for agriculture, adding that Mkushi district is blessed with conducive soils, weather pattern and water resources; thereby making it prosperous in terms of farming. “It is because of this that interested parties must continue to work together to improve farming practices and make them more innovative, sustainable and profitable as well as beneficial to all,” Mr. Mwamba said.
He added that efforts should be made to encourage more local communities within the district engage in farming and promote entrepreneurship. The DC said employment should be created for people to have more money in their pockets and enable them afford nutrition, healthcare and education. He said this required information sharing events and other similar platforms.
“It is notable that the farming community has supported the building of schools and clinics to cater for the people in their catchment areas. For this we salute you,” Mr. Mwamba said.
Meanwhile, Mkushi youths have appealed to government to build a modern youth resource centre in the district.
In an interview, district youth coordinator Bright Mumba said a modern youth resource centre would go a long way in empowering youths with survival skills.
Mr. Mumba said the proposed centre would promote youth empowerment and create employment through survival skills.
He said the centre could also be used for agriculture research to improve the quality of crop production. “Construction of a modern youth resource centre and its significance cannot be over emphasised. Mkushi, being a farming area and its people being agriculture oriented, needs to invest in its youthful population with relevant survival skills like agriculture,” Mr. Mumba said.