Invest in irrigation, state urged

THE dry spell in Lusaka and other parts of the country should serve as a wakeup call for the government to consider taking up irrigation farming investment seriously.

Making the call in Lusaka, United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ) president Charles Chanda warned that there was definitely going to be a problem with the harvest because of poor rainfall.

He explained in a statement that the continued dry spell in Lusaka and other parts of the country had led to the maize crops drying up.

Mr Chanda pointed out that despite the Zambia Meteorological Department two weeks ago hinting that the rainfall performance from October 1 to December, 31 last year was normal to above normal in most parts of the country, Lusaka, Muchinga, Southern and Western provinces had recorded below average rainfall.

Mr Chanda said that despite largely being dependent on rains for farming activities in Zambia, there was need to consider irrigation as a measure to avert such situations that dragged farmers into panic.

“We are faced with a challenge this season especially with the rains that have not been kind to us and there is definitely going to be a problem with the harvest. The continued lack of rain in Lusaka and parts of the country has led to maize crops drying up,” he said.