Maravi

Kapiri MP calls for review of FSP

Kapiri MP calls for review of FSP
Written by Isaac Zulu, Charles Mangwato and George Zulu
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 7:58:13 PM

KAPIRI Mposhi member of parliament Friday Malwa has called for the revision of the fertiliser support programme (FSP) input distribution exercise in the next planting season.

And chief Chikanta of the Tonga people in Kalomo has supported calls for the review of the FSP to make it more responsive to the needs of the farming community.

And police in Monze have launched investigations on reports that over 4,000 by 50 kilogramme bags of fertiliser have not been delivered.

Malwa, in an interview, said the 2008/2009 fertiliser distribution exercise had failed the farmers.

He said most farmers in his constituency this season farmers received top dressing (Urea) fertiliser before D-compound.

“The distribution of fertiliser must be revised in the next planting season because the whole exercise has failed the farmers,” Malwa said.

Early this month, Malwa challenged Kapiri Mposhi district agricultural coordinator Dr Emmanuel Chileshe to explain to the farmers why the distribution of fertiliser had started with Urea instead of Basal fertilizer.

But Dr Chileshe described this year's fertiliser distribution exercise under the FSP as challenging, saying his department anticipated to start giving out farming inputs in the second week of November for completion in mid December last year.

And chief Chikanta, in a statement on Sunday, stipulated that there was urgent need to address the shortcomings of the FSP.

He stated that the FSP was good but expressed concern at the way the programme had been managed in all nine provinces of the country.

Chief Chikanta stated that there was need for an effective review of the FSP at national level, which should be followed by an urgent postmortem at district and provincial levels to identify mistakes, weaknesses and omissions.

Chief Chikanta suggested that resolutions and recommendations from district and provincial postmortems should be part of the inputs for the national review of the FSP.

Meanwhile, the United Party for National Development Dundumwezi Constituency chairman Sylvester Mweemba said the government must put in place measures that would ensure fertiliser was distributed closer to the farmers.

And some transporters contracted to deliver farming inputs to Monze district claimed that about 4,000 bags of fertiliser was not distributed because some named senior government officials had benefited from the inputs.

And police sources confirmed having interviewed four transporters in connection with FSP inputs on Thursday and said some senior government officials had been named as having been involved in the scandal.

The government allocated 54,720 bags of fertiliser to Monze for the 2008/2009 farming season, an amount that was expected to benefit 6,840 small-scale farmers. However, over 1,000 farmers have not received inputs despite making payments.

Labels: CHIEF CHIKANTA, EMMANUEL CHILESHE, FERTILIZER, FRIDAY MALWA, FSP

posted by MrK @ 8:00 PM