By Stuart Lisulo in Nalolo
Tue 21 Jan. 2014, 14:00 CAT
NALOLO district commissioner Mundia Samwene says residents in the district will start receiving funds under the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme in February.
And Samwene says the beef and rice 'value chain programme' will soon enable businesses in the district to export finished products to neighbouring countries.
In an interview in Nalolo district on Saturday, Samwene said his district was expecting funds to be received under the STC programme, this would enable the most vulnerable residents to receive cash handouts next month.
Nalolo, as one of the several districts around the country is also part of the SCT due to receive funding under the programme. We will soon start implementing the programme in February; people will be receiving funds - the most vulnerable will be given cash every month as social cash transfer, he said.
Samwene said, in addition to the SCT, the Resilience programme initiated by the
World Bank was another mechanism about to be implemented aimed at targeting the poorest and vulnerable in rural districts across the country.
''2014 looks positive in the sense that we are looking forward to being self-reliant.
Their (World Bank) target is to see the poorest person in society improve the standard of living by making sure we target the resilience of the climate change by providing schools, hospitals, bridges and even digging of canals so that the most vulnerable person can do farming and be self-sustainable in terms of agriculture,'' he said.
And Samwene said the beef and rice 'value chain programme' initiated by the Citizens Empowerment Commission (CEEC) aimed at setting up industries in Nalolo district looked set to empower the rural community in the area to the extent of enabling entrepreneurs to export their produce to neighbouring countries.
What we are now targeting is to put an added value to meat production so that we can do the processing; look at how we can improve our breed on the local level; and see how we can combat diseases so that we fully make Nalolo a disease-free control area, and can even export our meat to neighbouring countries. First of all, we are going to feed Western Province, the excess will feed other provinces in Zambia, and what will remain after, that we will feed other countries like Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania. If you have tasted rice from Western Province, it is different from any other rice that is produced from any other part of this country. Industrialisation is taking place because this is real and people are doing it. So, all we need to do is put value on whatever they are producing and open up the markets throughout the country, and even outside this country, he said.
Meanwhile, Samwene said the district further plans to develop, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, fish farming as a means to ensure the annual fish ban does not affect fish farmers.
We want to come out with aquaculture, making dams around here. Nalolo plains are fully fledged with rivers and waters. So, all we need to do is make aquaculture practical so that we can produce fish during the annual fish bans for re-sale within and outside the district - we should not only rely on the Zambezi waters, said Samwene.
Labels: MUNDIA SAMWENE
posted by MrK @ 2:45 PM
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