CHANDA

By HELEN ZULU-
MUCHINGA Province Minister Gerry Chanda has urged farmers in the area to embrace technology in crop production in order to improve yields.
Colonel Chanda said Muchinga Province and the country at large could achieve improved farming through the use of modern technology like tractors and irrigation systems.
He said this in a speech read for him by Deputy Permanent Secretary Davy Chanda during the Third Provincial Agriculture, Tourism and Investment Show held in Chinsali under the theme “Breaking New Grounds” with a Sub-theme “Commemorating 50 years of independence.”
Col Chanda said there was need for farmers to establish cooperatives that were of a business nature, saying countries such as Sweden had developed as a result of contributions from sub-sectors similar to cooperatives.
He said for this reason farmers must regard cooperatives as a business entity and be able to grow them into viable institutions.
“The creation of Muchinga Province three years ago has been the major catalyst of breaking new grounds in 2014 as the Province is seeing endless social-economic development of construction works and the grading of feeder roads to make the markets accessible,” Col Chanda said
He said Government was opening up more resettlement Schemes and farm blocs in the province and to this effect called on the local people to take advantage and participate.
Col Chanda also disclosed that more than 300 people from Lusaka Province had applied to settle in Kanchibiya resettlement scheme in Mpika District.
Muchinga Province Show Society chairperson Chilufya Kapwepwe said the Local Authority in Chinsali had allocated land in excess of eight hectares to the Provincial Society for the construction of permanent show grounds.
Ms Kapwepwe said that the vision of the Provincial Show Society was to hold the show at the new grounds to be constructed at least by 2015.
She said that this year, the show saw an increase in the number of exhibitors, especially from Lusaka and the Copperbelt.