By YVONNE CHATE and
RABECCA CHIPANTA –
MORE than 8,000 farmers in Chililabombwe have benefited from this season’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), District senior agriculture officer Edward Mubanga has said.
Mr  Mubanga said 8,650 farmers in Chililabombwe District had accessed the 2015/2016 farming inputs through cooperative structures.
He said the farmers received their inputs before onset of the rainy season and were expected to have a good yield in the year’s harvest season.
“About 8,650 farmers in Chililabombwe have benefited from this season’s farming input and we expect a good yield in our district with this favourable rainy season.
“There has been consistency in haulage of input to the district that has ensured farmers have access to them in good time,” he said
Mr Mubanga disclosed this to Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge who toured projects on Friday in Chililabombwe and Chingola districts on the Copperbelt.
He said the ministry of Agriculture was also researching on the effects of climate change and how the weather pattern experienced in Chililabombwe would affect food production in the district and the nation at large.
Meanwhile, Mr Musenge advised youths in the district to diversify in sectors such as agriculture and reduce overdependence on the mining sector.
He said it was encouraging to see youths take up opportunities in the agricultural sector and reduce overdependence on Government.
“It is encouraging to see youths taking up opportunities in the farming sector because what we want to see is for youths to be dependent on themselves and reduce on depending on Government for every little thing,” he said.
Mr Musenge said Government expected to have a great yield in Chililabombwe, Kafulafuta, Lufwanyama, Mpongwe and Masaiti districts on the Copperbelt.
And one of the beneficiaries, Jackson Chiteta expressed gratitude for the FISP initiative.
Mr Chiteta urged government to consider increasing the number of input supplies.