Government pays all farmers in Western Province – Mbangweta

-


Western Province Minister Kapelwa Mbangweta has disclosed that government has paid all farmers in the province for their produce.

Mr. Mbangweta explained that government had initially planned to purchase 500,000 metric tonnes of produce from farmers, but increased production following its call for farmers to grow more food resulted in government purchasing about 1.7 million metric tonnes.

He said the significant increase in the volume of produce meant government had to mobilise additional resources to settle outstanding payments to farmers.

Mr. Mbangweta said once the funds were secured and made available in Kaoma, government worked with Access Bank, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and the Ministry of Agriculture to ease the payment process.

He explained that Kaoma, Nkeyema, Luampa and surrounding areas have traditionally relied on a single bank to facilitate payments to farmers, but the more-than-threefold increase in the number of farmers requiring payment created additional pressure.

Mr. Mbangweta said provincial authorities therefore engaged Access Bank's senior management to establish a payment facility in Nkeyema, allowing farmers in the area to access their money without travelling to Kaoma.

He said the arrangement involved cooperation between Access Bank, FRA, the Ministry of Agriculture and the local council.

The council, he explained, provided premises and transport support, while Access Bank deployed additional staff to facilitate the payments.

Mr. Mbangweta said the initiative has spared farmers the inconvenience of travelling to Kaoma and spending nights there while waiting to be paid.

He said the exercise has been running for about two weeks and is now nearing completion.

The Minister has commended all stakeholders involved in the initiative for their cooperation in ensuring that farmers receive their payments.

Mr. Mbangweta also attributed the increased agricultural production to government interventions aimed at improving farmers' access to mechanisation.

He said the Ministry of Agriculture has established service centres and centres of excellence in various areas, equipped with tractors, boom sprayers and other agricultural machinery.

He explained that the equipment is made available to local farmers for hire at rates lower than commercial charges, enabling them to increase their production.

Mr. Mbangweta said the increased use of agricultural equipment is already producing positive results, with farmers increasingly recognising that mechanisation can improve yields and efficiency.

He said serious farmers are appreciating the importance of adopting modern equipment to enhance agricultural productivity.

Ends

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ABBC 2025 calls for evidence-based policies

-
Image
Senior policymakers and scientists at the Africa Biennial Biosciences Communication (ABBC) 2025 Symposium have urged governments to anchor science decisions in evidence-based policies and to communicate research findings in clear, simple language to prevent misinformation from undermining public trust. National Biosafety Authority Head of Standards and Technical Liaison Christopher Simuntala has emphasized that even in the face of misinformation and disinformation, governments must give firm direction on science policy. “Decision-making informs policy, and policy informs the law,” said Mr. Simuntala, a qualified medical scientist. “When decisions come from evidence-based science, they must have a strong foundation to support sound legislation. Even the mathematical models used to guide these decisions must be handled properly to ensure accuracy.” Speaking on the sidelines of the symposium, Mr. Simuntala has stated that high-level policymakers were targeted in discussions because they s...
Read more

PF no threat after 2021 million-vote defeat-Andeleki

-
Image
Ruling United Party for National Development  Katombola Member of Parliament Clement Andeleki has said that the Patriotic Front (PF) effectively ceased to exist following the death of its founder and later Fifth President Michael Sata, dismissing claims that the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) is afraid of the opposition. “How can the UPND be afraid of a party that we defeated with over one million votes in the 2021 general elections?” Dr. Andeleki asked. “The PF was in government, it had all the state apparatus, and yet it was defeated decisively at the polls. The numbers don’t lie.” Dr. Andeleki  has  recalled that the 2021 elections were the first since independence in 1964 to be supervised by the military, a measure aimed at ensuring transparency and credibility. He has described the polls as fair and democratic despite attempts at violence by elements within the PF. “They were defeated democratically despite the violence that they attempted to per...
Read more

UNAIDS urges stronger political pact for HIV prevention in SADC

-
Image
The fight against HIV in Southern Africa has reached a defining moment. As experts and policymakers convene in Lusaka for the SADC Meeting of National AIDS Commission Directors and Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme Managers , the message ringing across the conference halls is clear “Act now, act together, and act sustainably.” The joint meeting, running under the theme “Accelerating HIV Prevention and Access to Integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: Tackling Inequalities and Securing a Sustainable Response,”  seeks to evaluate progress toward the 2025 HIV/TB and SRHR integration targets while setting a new course for sustainable health financing across the region. Its outcomes will later be presented to the SADC Ministers of Health and Ministers Responsible for HIV and AIDS in November. Setting the tone for the meeting, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Anne Githuku-Shongwe ,  has  issued a rallying call for what she desc...
Read more