The Zambia National Farmers’ Union has appealed to President Hkainde Hichilema to set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to handle and harness united efforts for the timely delivery fertilizer and finalizing the procurement processes for the 2022 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
ZNFU president Jervis Zimba said Farmers are concerned with the reported delays in finalizing the procurement processes for the 2022 Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) fertilizers.
Mr. Zimba said most small-scale farmers depend on FISP for farming inputs hence this development is a blow and could spell doom on a sector that is still grappling with the climate change after effects following prolonged dry spells experienced last season.
Mr. Zimba further said the current FISP mess will require the intervention of the Head of State, to instill hope and certainty in the minds of farmers even as the rainy season approaches soon.
“What is even more worrying is that even for locally produced seed, the uncertainty is the same as on
Fertilizer which is imported. We would like to appeal to Government to step up and realize that the
consequences will be catastrophic for farmers,” he said.
