. Kazabu

By NICHOLAS MWALE –

OWNING a tractor is a dream come true for Namutabo Mubita, a small-scale farmer of Nkeyema District in Western Province.
Farming is Mr Mubita’s only business from which he makes a livelihood for his household.
Expanding his field has been his wish for a long time, but difficult due lack of finances and machinery.
Mr Mubita was delighted to be part of the beneficiaries of tractors under the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) and AFGRI Operations Limited Mechanisation Programme.
“This is something I have always dreamed of,” he said. “With this tractor, I will make sure I expand my area of production so that I can increase yields and make more profit.”
Mr Mubita said he would leave the tractor open for hire to other farmers in the community so they can utilise it while he also generates some income from the hiring to procure inputs.
Five small-scale farmers recently benefited from the ZCF and AFGRI mechanisation programme which empowers small-scale farmers with tractors.
Other beneficiaries were Abel Sichula, Member of Parliament for Nakonde Constituency who decided to be part of the programme to act as an example to his electorate.
“Farming is just in me,” said Mr Sichula. “I enjoy farming and I would like to utilise this programme for farmers in my Constituency to emulate from me.”
For a long time now, farming using hand hoe has been synonymous with man small-scale farmers who account for about 80 per cent of rural population.
Small-scale farmers have for many years, stagnated their maize production per hectare at an average of 1.5 to 2.5 tonnes as compared to their counterparts in some neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe and Malawi who are averaging five to eight tonnes per hectare respectively.
Lack of access to flexible loan facilities from financing institutions to enable small-scale farmers procure farm machinery has been a major setback resulting in many of them failing to graduate to another level.
The greatest challenge in accessing farming equipment in the agricultural sector is mainly known to be the high cost associated with it and the collateral demanded by financial institutions.
But slowly, the situation is changing with various programmes and initiatives pioneered by different organisations.
The farm mechanisation programme that emanates from an agreement between AFGRI Operations Limited and ZCF is yet another initiative earmarked to empower smallholder farmers with tractors.
The initiative, dubbed Tractor for Maize Scheme allows individuals or groups of farmers organised in cooperatives with no collateral to acquire equipment by only paying a deposit of 30 per cent of the cost while the balance to be paid over a period of three years.
The collaborative agreement signed on June 27, 2014 also provides an option of substituting actual cash payment with maize equivalent to the cost of the equipment.
“There can never be good terms such as this in an economy like ours,” Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Luxon Kazabu said at a hand-over ceremony in Chilanga recently.
“As Government, our desire and aspirations are also to see an improvement in productivity at an individual farmer level which should in turn translate into a super bumper harvest at national level.”
Last marketing season, the country recorded a bumper harvest of 3.35 million tonnes of maize, despite this record, Government realises that yields at individual farmer level have considerably remained low.
“In this day and age especially with 50 years of independence, it is a tragedy for small-scale farmers to be using a plough or a hand hoe,” Mr Kazabu said.
“As Government, we shall continue to support initiatives that add value to our economy, and the tractor for maize collaborative agreement entered into between ZCF and AFGRI is just but one of such initiatives that should be supported,” he said.
Much as Government stands ready to support this programme and other initiatives aimed at increasing levels of production among-scale farmers, Mr Kazabu urges farmers to bear in mind that, the loans acquired should be paid back.
As good as the scheme may look; it is obvious that its sustenance depends much on farmers’ ability to honour their obligations as per agreement, which will make it possible to extend the facility to many more farmers.
“Farmers should think this is a Christmas gift that comes once a year. It has happened before and organisations have collapsed due to non payments of loans.” Mr Kazubu said
While maize prices are important, ZCF believes its members could only benefit from any price if they increase productivity.
ZCF Director General James Chirwa says that small-scale farmers need to be producing at least 2,000 by 50Kg bags for them to enjoy the benefits of the maize prices.
This is something the cooperatives mother body believes could only be achieved with mechanisation in place.
“Without equipment, farmers cannot manage to get those levels,” Mr Chirwa said.
The federation’s aim is to ensure that each district should earn about five tractors that will be used to lease to cooperative members and other farmers in the society.
This is why we have removed the element of collateral and used the element of trust and confidence in the two organisations.
AFGRI executive director Mulco Manyama says small-scale farmers were left on their own when searching for mechanisation solutions with no alternative until they either earn or save enough to become part of the commercial agriculture.
“ZCF and AFGRI have now made it possible for Zambian farmers to graduate from small-scale farmer to be commercial farmers through this mechanisation scheme and other support initiatives,” Mr Manyama said.
Mr Manyama, who is AFGRI Group Stakeholder Relations Director further observed that the initiative would contribute towards poverty alleviation amongst the rural community.
This is a programme AFGRI believes may also make agriculture attractive to the young and unemployed.
“The story of the youth seeing a farmer as someone who is doing a back breaking labour in the fields and getting little to show for it may disappear,” observed Mr Manyama. “In two to three years to come, the traumatic experience of farming using basic equipment will be a thing of the past.”
He says small-scale farmers do not need handouts, but empowerment and access to opportunities like capacity building in form of business skills and access to modern farming equipment such as tractors and other implements.
It is obvious that the ZCF-AFGRI Maize for Tractor scheme will emancipate small-scale farmers and contribute towards the economic growth of the country.
The objective is certainly in line with the desire of smallholder farmers, which is to see their production levels improve.
Starting is always known to be difficulty but the hope remains that farmers will do better with the mechanisation system currently being championed.-NAIS