‘Lundazi farmers not spending nights at depots’

IT is not true that farmers in Lundazi are stranded and spending nights in depots due to challenges in the distribution of the farming inputs, Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo has clarified.

Mr Kasolo said contrary to ZANIS reports from Lundazi, at no point were farmers spending nights at fertiliser depots waiting to collect the commodity.

Mr Kasolo explained that the redeeming gadgets have been provided in the district and the process was running smoothly.

Mr Kasolo said this when he called for a meeting with Neria's Investment general manager Martin Chaikatisha and Aliboo Trading director marketing Ahmed Bux in Lundazi over the fertiliser collection.

Mr Kasolo has apologised to the two companies for tarnishing their image over untruthful reporting.

“There is no farmer stranded or spending nights in the cold in Lundazi contrary to media reports and Iam pleased that Neria's Investments have delivered the commodity way before the expected delivered deadline.

“I want to assure the people of Eastern Province, particularly, the farmers that we have enough stocks of fertiliser. I would like to urge the farmers to start applying for top dressing fertiliser on time so that we can produce a bumper harvest," said Mr Kasolo

Last week ZANIS carried a story indicating that farmers were spending two weeks at fertiliser depots.

The Permanent Secretary called on journalists to be professional and to always verify facts before misinforming the masses.

He assured farmers in the province that there was adequate seed and fertiliser to be distributed under the 20182019 Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP).

He observed the administrative office provincial had set up a strategy that would ensure that all farmers collected their inputs on time.

Mr Kasolo said the province was among those with a good rainfall pattern and urged farmers to take advantage and produce good yields.

Meanwhile, Mr Chaikatisha said the company had delivered more than 57, 000 metric tonnes of fertiliser to the province as at the end of October.

Mr Chaikatisha said the company had since extended the hours of operation in all its depots to ensure that farmers collected fertiliser on time.

Meanwhile Mr Bux has thanked Government for the cordial business relationship aimed at boosting the agricultural sector in the country.

He said he was happy that the distribution of inputs in the province had improved compared to the last farming season.