Zambians won’t starve - minister

BY SANDRA MACHIMA ZAMBIANS will not go hungry despite a partial drought that has affected some parts of the country Minister of Agriculture Dora Siliya has assured.

Ms Siliya said some parts of the country have been particularly affected with crops that were earlier planted going to waste due to poor rainfall.

She noted that as expected the country had seen more rains in ecological zone three consisting of parts of Northern regions of Zambia, the Copperbelt, Central province and parts Northwestern province.

The minister said her Ministry was monitoring the situation to ensure food security.

Ms Siliya was speaking in Berlin, Germany, on the sidelines of the German/Africa Business Association meeting called for African countries to share their investment prospects in the agricultural sector with the German business community.

Ms Siliya, she said, “In Ecological zone one and that is Southern Province, parts of Western Province and parts of Eastern Province we have seen that there has actually been a drought. We have experienced no rains in those areas.”

The minister disclosed that government was expected to increase its investment in harvesting rain-water and the construction of dams thereby reducing dependence on rain-fed agriculture.

Ms Siliya said small dams would have to be made throughout the country so that farming may continue aided by irrigation whether there had been rainfall or not.