By STEVEN ZANDE –
THE Small-Scale Famers Development Agency (SAFADA) has appealed to the Government to consider increasing private sector participation in the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to improve productivity among farmers.
SAFADA executive director Boyd Moobwe said this coupled with provision of training to farmers will lead to improved productivity and help beneficiary farmers to graduate from the programme.
Mr Moobwe was speaking at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
“For us to sustain our food security, we urge Government to empower banking institutions. This will allow banks to lend money to farmers at affordable rates and help to increase productivity among them,” he said.
Mr Moobwe said restructuring FISP would also help save the state colossal sums of money.
He urged the Government to consider maintaining helpful agriculture subsidies to ensure sustainability of small-scales farmers because of their contribution to national food security.
“We have no objections to the removal of subsidies by Government. However, our concern is that this action should be implemented in such a way that it does not chock the farmers,” Mr Moobwe said.
He further said most farmers in Zambia had continued to face challenges in accessing funding to grow their agriculture productivity because most lending institutions did not have confidence in them.
Mr Moobwe said the small-scale farming community in the country was in need of financial support based on proper business plans as doing so would also compel the players apply themselves for improved productivity.