Lima credit scheme in limbo

By CHITE MTONGA GOVERNMENT’S final position on the maize market price will determine the structure of the Lima credit scheme for the next farming season, says Zambia National Farmers Union president Jervis Zimba.

Mr. Zimba said that they would only make a decision to include more cash crops on the loan scheme for smallscale farmers once Government gave its final position on the market price of maize.

Mr Zimba said that ZNFU will decide on whether or not to increase support to other cash crops through the scheme when consultations on the market price of maize were concluded.

“We have written to the Minister of Agriculture and we intend to have a meeting with her. The outcome of the meeting will determine whether most farmers will grow maize or not. As the market price stands, most farmers do not intend to grow the crop next season.

“So the issue of whether the union will encourage other cash crops on the Lima credit scheme is entirely dependent on the outcome of the meeting we will have, but if farmers will not grow maize then people will starve, so we hope the prices are revised to encourage farmers to grow maize next season,” Mr. Zimba said.

He told the Daily Nation that the farmers had no control over the cost of inputs, therefore should not be blamed if they decided to grow more profitable crops next farming season.

“The cost of inputs is way higher than what is being realised from the prices currently being offered by FRA. So most farmers have given up on maize and intend to go for other cash crops, but we would like farmers to wait until we meet the Minister of Agriculture who is outside the country,” Mr. Zimba said.