DELAYED DELIVERY OF FARMING INPUT POISES POTENTIAL RISK TO FOOD SECURITY!

LATE delivery of the Farmer Input Support Programme is definitely posing such a huge potential risk factor to the nutrition and food security to Zambia as a country to begin with, and as a serious resourceful commodity player to the region.

Zambia has changed the narratives over time on food security since the introduction of FISP, as the nation used to be a net importer of maize.

I vividly remember, we had an importation of yellow maize during the Chiluba administration under then Agriculture Minister Dr Guy

Scott, a situation that received with mixed as the move was to cushion the effects of a deficit.

Food security has a potential risk standing in our way of economic growth and this looks like a serious inflation sitting to make spikes sooner than we think of it in full expectations, especially if farming inputs further delay on the delivery process to the intended farming areas.

This year has taken a different twist as we have kept improving on this policy model since the MMD times, especially in contrast to nowadays considering the fact that we are experiencing dramatic situations that the world is faced with.

We have noticed that agriculture input support distribution has taken longer than expected during this farming season.

It’s indeed such a big threat on both food security and nutritional health for the next financial year, especially if not properly taken with the speed required in the distribution process of FISP.

This also poses even more serious risk factors to the upcoming and yet to be rebranded Agriculture Comprehensive Support Programme.