By SARAH TEMBO-
AGRICULTURE and Livestock Minister Wylbur Simuusa has uerged the hotel industry in the country to offer attractive prices to local farmers to ensure that the agricultural sector remains viable.
Mr Simuusa said farmers played an important role to ensure the national food security of the country hence the need to keep them in business by offering them attractive prices for their produce.
The Minister said in a speech read for him by Permanent Secretary David Shamulenge at the farmers gala night held at Mika Lodge at the weekend.
“The linkage between farmers and the hotel industry cannot be over emphasised, by producing food products which are consumed in hotels, farmers are contributing direct to the development of the food industry,” he said.
As Zambia cerebrates her Golden Jubilee, there was need for farmers and the hotel industry to work together and guarantee Zambians of having enough food.
Mr Samuusa said peace, unity, democracy, patriotism and prosperity could only be achieved and sustained if the country was food secured both at household and national level.
The Government remained committed to ensuring that the various players in the agricultural sector operated in a conducive environment by providing the necessary policy direction.
“Given the supporting policy environment that my government has put in place, the problem of food insecurity in our county should be a thing of the past,” he said.
The enabling environment created by Government was evident from the country’s historical bumper harvest that had been recorded this year.
Earlier, Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) president Evenly Nguleka said the union encouraged farmers to embrace mechanisation and modern farming methods through new and sustainable methods of production such as conservation farming.
“Although this is happening at a slow pace, the bottom line is that change has taken its toll. The improvement of yields is one major factor as evidenced with the bumper harvest in maize production,” she said.
Dr Nguleka, in a speech read for her by ZNFU director Richard Lisimba called on stakeholders in the agriculture sector to start exporting their produce as that was the only way of sustaining any expansion in production.