LIZZY NGOBEKA-NCHIMUNYA
Chingola
ABOUT 1, 000 farmers in Chingola District have received farming inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
Chingola District Commissioner Howard Kamwandi said the development is in preparation for the next farming season.
Mr Kamwandi said that the Government has this year made the inputs redeeming process quicker, in order to give farmers ample time to prepare for the farming season.
“I can confirm that farmers in the district are already receiving the inputs from agro-dealers. This is immediately after they take the required 10 50-kilogrammes (kg) bags of maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA),” Mr Kamwandi said.
Chingola district agriculture coordinator Lovemore Daka said that some FISP beneficiaries are responding positively to the Government’s directive to sell at least 10 bags of maize to FRA, for them to qualify to redeem their farming inputs.
Mr Daka, however, said that quite a large number of the farmers have not yet sold their maize to FRA.
He said that out of a total of 9,099 beneficiaries, only 2,329 have sold their maize to FRA.
Mr Daka appealed to the farmers to take their maize to the FRA so that they can continue benefiting from the farmers’ support initiative.
“All the FISP farmers were bonded and are required to sell a minimum of 10 50-kg bags of maize to FRA and once that is done, the K400 farmer contribution to FISP is automatically deducted, because FISP and FRA are integrated via the Zambia Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (ZIAMIS) App.
“Subsequently, farmers that successfully sell maize to FRA have their e-vouchers activated and are required to visit the shops of FISP accredited agro-dealers to redeem and collect various farm inputs to a tune of K8,400, in readiness for the 2026/2027 farming season,” he said.
Mr Daka further said the 10 FRA satellite depots are still active in Chingola awaiting all categories of small-scale farmers to sell their maize grain.
Chingola has 9, 099 farmers enlisted on FISP and the directive compelling beneficiaries to sell at least 10 kg of maize to FRA is meant to ensure food security for the country.
