Early input delivery elates Chief Kabamba

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has won the praise from Chief Kabamba of the Lala people of Serenje for ensuring that farming inputs for the 2020/21 farming season were delivered early.

The traditional leader said the Government has been yearning to deliver inputs early and it was encouraging that for the 2020/21 farming season fertilizer in Serenje came way before the planting season.

He said owing to the swift delivery, he anticipated Serenje to record a better yield than in the past seasons.

The traditional leader was speaking in Serenje when officials from Nyimba Investments paid a courtesy call on him.

“The government assured us that come this season, inputs will be delivered early. We thank our President to ensuring that the promise has been fulfilled,” he said

Chief Kabamba was happy that Nyimba had heeded

Government’s directive to delivere inputs ahead of the planting season.

“I wish to thank you Nyimba Investments for delivering inputs early. Let me also thank you on behalf of the people of Kabamba chiefdom for delivering inputs early,” he said.

He said that the onus was now on the farmers to ensure that they use the inputs for the intended purposes. The traditional leader said he was happy that for the 2020/21 season inputs were received in Serenje early.

“It is now up to the farmers to do the right thing…. Fertiliser was brought early and the farmers should use the inputs for the intended purposes. I am seeing Serenje producing enough to feed the whole nation,” he said.

And a beneficiary under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), Gladys Ngoma, said as a result of the timely delivery of inputs, she was able to plant early.

“With the early delivery of inputs, you are ending poverty at household level. From what I earn at my farm I am able to send my two children to school,” she said.

Ms Ngoma praised Nyimba for ensuring that the inputs were delivered way ahead of the planting season. She hoped Nyimba would continue to be the supplier for Serenje even in the coming seasons.

And Nyimba Head-Sales and Marketing Manager Willings Mulendema said his organization has already started procuring inputs for the 2021/22 farming season.

Currently, he said that 2,000 tonnes of fertiliser has arrived in the country and was stocked in Lusaka.

“Our resolve is to help toward improving the agriculture sector and to do that we need to bring the inputs on time. For the next farming season, we have so far procured 2,000 metric tonnes and it’s at our main hub in Lusaka. We want to complete the distribution for the next season by May,” he said.