Maravi

Bumper harvest might go to waste, warns CSPR

Bumper harvest might go to waste, warns CSPR
By Kabanda Chulu
Sun 31 Oct. 2010, 04:01 CAT

THE Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has warned that the maize bumper harvest might go to waste due to the government’s lack of focus. And Agriculture Commodities Task Force chairman Max Mulondiwa has challenged the government to channel some of the resources being spent on the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to the construction of storage facilities in all large farming blocks.

The government has spent over K1.2 trillion on maize crop which resulted in producing 2.8 million metric tonnes of maize, but only 767,000 metric tonnes has so far been purchased by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

Initially, the government allocated K435 billion for the FISP, which is mainly centred on maize cultivation and K100 billion to the FRA but more recently, a K700 billion loan was acquired to enable the FRA buy more maize.

In an interview, Mucheleka said the agriculture sector required much more than spending trillions of kwacha on a single crop through the FISP that is normally used as a campaign gimmick.

“Investing in agriculture requires addressing structural rigidities such as feeder roads, storage sheds, extension services, rural electrification and irrigation infrastructure and this way we can attract the private sector so that FRA remains with its role of buying national strategic reserves,” Mucheleka said.

“This bumper harvest is good but it will go to waste since rains might fall anytime Tarpaulins have not been delivered in many areas and once the rains start feeder roads will become impassable, so government should understand that agriculture is more than just maize.”

He said many Zambians were finding it difficult to accept the positive economic indicators which do not link to issues obtaining on the ground.

“Government needs to think thoroughly on how to link economic indicators to social sectors because even with the bumper harvest, the livelihoods of farmers have not improved; they are still below the poverty line. For example, the four bags given under FISP covers a hectare to produce (6-7 tonnes) which is transformed into 120 x 50kg bags and when you multiply by K65,000, you get about K7.8 million,” said Mucheleka.

“Thus government should seriously identify high valued crops that should be included in the FISP because forcing farmers to grow maize is not good since on aggregate levels it is not profitable to grow maize especially that it is seasonal and little money is realised despite producing the crop at a higher cost.”

And Mulondiwa said the government should stop relying on food sheds that were built by SIDA many years ago.

“Sometimes government does not want to play its role correctly and it seems this bumper harvest has caught them unaware. The biggest challenge they have is to build big storage sheds in all large farming blocks and not rely on what was left by SIDA,” said Mulondiwa. “Government must improve on storage facilities because it does not make sense to keep on transferring maize from the farming areas to Lusaka.”

Labels: CSPR, FISP, MAIZE, MAX MULONDIWA, PATRICK MUCHELEKA

posted by MrK @ 5:11 PM