Mulando urges researchers to develop flood resistant crops
Mulando urges researchers to develop flood resistant cropsBy Mulimbi Mulaliki in Solwezi
Monday April 14, 2008 [04:00]
NORTH Western Province permanent secretary Jeston Mulando has urged researchers in the Ministry of Agriculture to develop flood-resistant crops. And chief seed officer Dr Francisco Miti disclosed that high rainfall in North Western Province was causing soil acidity, hence affecting yields of farmers.
Officiating at Mutanda Research Station field day in Solwezi, Mulando said researchers and seed manufacturing companies in the country had concentrated much on developing crops which were drought resistant and not crops which were resistant to floods.
Mulando said the province had great potential for enhancing food security, economic growth, employment and poverty reduction as agriculture was the mainstay of majority of the people in the area.
“I would therefore urge the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) to plan and implement its activities as stipulated in the Fifth National Development Plan for 2006-2010. Your research should not just end on paper for academic exercise only as it has been the trend in the past but it should benefit the farmers, thereby improving food security in the country,” he said.
Mulando said the field days which were organised by the Ministry of Agriculture were very important to both researchers and farmers as they shared new development in crop production, breeding and plant protection as well as soil management and other appropriate technologies.
“The Zambia Agriculture Research Institute has so far generated quite a number of relevant and appropriate technologies that include new high yielding, disease tolerant and adaptable crop varieties, production, packaging and recommendations,” said Mulando.
Dr Miti said ZARI conducted research for all certified seeds in the three regional research centres to know which crops were suitable for each region and to advise farmers on the seed they should buy.
And station programmes officer Mathias Zulu complained that inadequate funding was affecting their operations.
“Staffing at all levels is far below 50 per cent of the establishment, there is lack of reliable transport, unsafe drinking water and poor reticulation system,” he said.
Zulu explained that the research centre was a very strategic agriculture institute that needed to be guarded from vandalism and dilapidation and save it from running down.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, FLOODS, JESTON MULANDO, NORTHWESTERN PROVINCE, ZARI
posted by MrK @ 4:28 AM
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