MINISTER 0F AGRICULTURE ΟΝ ΤΗΕ PERFORMANCE 0F FISP, ΤΗΕ REVIEW 0F ΤΗΕ 2021/2022 AGRlCULTURAL SEASON ΑΝD ΤΗΕ FOOD SECURITY SlTUATlON IN ZAMBIA FEBRUARY 2022
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Mtolo Phiri Rueben
REPUBLlC 0F ΖΑΜΒΙΑ MINISTRY 0F AGRlCULTURE
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ΒΥ ΤΗΕ HONOURABLE REUBEN PHIRI – MTOLO, ΜΙΡ.
MINISTER 0F AGRICULTURE ΟΝ ΤΗΕ PERFORMANCE 0F FISP, ΤΗΕ REVIEW 0F ΤΗΕ 2021/2022 AGRlCULTURAL SEASON ΑΝD ΤΗΕFOOD SECURITY SlTUATlON
FEBRUARY 2022
MADAM SPEAKER,
1 WISH TO THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE A MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FARMER INPUT SUPPORT PROGRAMME DURING THE 2021/2022 AGRICULTURAL SEASON AND THE CURRENT FOOD SECURITY SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY. IN THIS STATEMENT, MADAM SPEAKER, 1 WILL ADDRESS MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE DELAYED ONSET OF THE RAIN SEASON, FLOODS, THE ARMY WORM ATTACKS, IMPLEMENTATION OF FISP AND THE FOOD SECURITY STATUS.
1. WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE 2021/2022
AGRICULTURAL SEASON
MADAM SPEAKER,
AT THE START OF THE 2021/2022 AGRICULTURAL SEASON, THE COUNTRY EXPERIENCED PROLONGED DRY SPELLS AND DELAYED ONSET OF RAINS IN MOST PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
FOR THE PERIOD LEADING UP TO MID-JANUARY 2022. THE PROVINCES MOST AFFECTED BY THE DRY SPELLS INCLUDE
EASTERN, NORTHERN AND NORTH WESTERN PROVINCES.
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE MAY WISH TO NOTE THAT FARMERS
WHO ARE PRACTICING CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE HAD
BETTER CROP ESTABLISHMENT IN AREAS THAT EXPERIENCED THE DRY SPELLS. 1 WISH TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO
ENCOURAGE FARMERS TO ADOPT THE CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES THAT THE MINISTRY IS PROMOTING.
IN ADDITION, AS THE AGRICULTURAL SEASON PROGRESSED, THE COUNTRY ALSO EXPERIENCED FLOODS IN LUAPULA, MUCHINGA, NORTHERN, NORTH-WESTERN, SOUTHERN,
LUSAKA, EASTERN AND COPPERBELT PROVINCES.
MADAM SPEAKER,
A TOTAL OF 37,924 FARMERS’ FIELDS MEASURING
APPROXIMATELY 36,640 HECTARES WERE AFFECTED BY THE
FLOODS IN THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. MAIZE, SUNFLOWER, SOYA BEANS AND COWPEAS ARE SOME OF THE CROPS THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED.
IN VIEW OF THIS UNFORTUNATE SITUATION, 1 WISH TO
ASSURE THE PUBLIC THAT THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH OTHER WINGS OF GOVERNMENT,
PARTICULARLY, THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND
MITIGATION UNIT (DMMU) UNDER THE OFFICE OF HER HONOUR THE vrce PRESIDENT TO PROVIDE RELIEF IN
AFFECTED AREAS.
11. FALL ARMY WORM INFESTATION
MADAM SPEAKER,
ALLOW ME TO NOW TURN MY ATTENTION TO THE ISSUE OF
THE FALL ARMY WORMS. DURING THE 2021/2022
AGRICULTURAL SEASON, ALL THE 10 PROVINCES AND ALL 116
DISTRICTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE REPORTED THE
INFESTATION OF FALL ARMY WORM IN THE MAIZE FIELDS. AT
THE END OF JANUARY 2022, THE ARMY WORM INFESTATION
HAD AFFECTED 269,273 HOUSEHOLDS AND A TOTAL OF
155,010 HECTARES OF MAIZE SPREAD ACROSS ALL THE
PROVINCES OF ZAMBIA.
MADAM SPEAKER,
IN ORDER TO HELP CONTROL THE SPREAD OF ARMY WORMS,
THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROCURED AND DISTRIBUTED 113,000 LITRES OF CHEMICALS TO ALL THE PROVINCES AT
NO COST TO THE FARMERS. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE
PROCURED AND DISTRIBUTED PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND SPRAYERS TO ALL THE PROVINCES.
FURTHER, OUR EXTENSION STAFF HAVE STEPPED UP SURVEILLANCE ACTIVITIES AND ARE PROVIDING TECHNICAL ADVICE TO THE FARMERS.
1 WISH TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE OUTBREAK OF ARMY WORMS
CONTINUES TO BE A THREAT TO HOUSEHOLD AND NATIONAL
FOOD SECURITY. 1, THEREFORE WISH TO ADVISE ALL FARMERS TO REMAIN VIGILANT AND REPORT ANY OUTBREAK
OF PESTS TO THEIR NEAREST EXTENSION OFFICERS.
111. FOOD SECURITY STATUS
MADAM SPEAKER,
HAVING HIGHLIGHTED THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE
FALL ARMY WORM INFESTATION, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT
THAT 1 HIGHLIGHT THE FOOD SECURITY POSITION OF THE
COUNTRY. LET ME STATE FROM THE ONSET THAT THE
MINISTRY HAS ONLY BEGUN THE PROCESS OF UNDERTAKING A CROP FORECAST SURVEY WHICH WILL DETERMINE THE CROP PRODUCTION FOR THIS YEAR.
MADAM SPEAKER, EVEN BEFORE THE CROP FORECASTING
RESULTS ARE KNOWN, 1 WISH TO STATE THAT AS AT 28TH
FEBRUARY, 2022 THE COUNTRY HAD MAIZE STOCKS OF
1,723,477 METRIC TONNES. OF THIS AMOUNT OVER 1.2
MILLION METRIC TONNES IS CURRENTLY HELD BY THE
FOOD RESERVE AGENCY. MADAM SPEAKER, OUR CURRENT
CONSUMPTION IS ESTIMATED AT 120,000 METRIC TONNES OF
MAIZE PER MONTH. THUS, THE AVAILABLE MAIZE STOCK IN THE COUNTRY IS SUFFICIENT TO COVER A PERIOD OF NOT LESS THAN 14 MONTHS.
MADAM SPEAKER, 1 WILL SOME TIME IN THE MONTH OF MAY
COME AND GIVE THE HOUSE AN UPDATE I ON THE FOOD SECURITY POSITION AFTER WE HAVE COMPLETED
UNDERTAKING THE CROP FORECAST SURVEY.
IV. IMPLEMENTATION OF FISP
MADAM SPEAKER,
YOU MAY RECALL THAT ON TUESDAY, 19TH OCTOBER 2021, 1 ISSUED A STATEMENT ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE WHEN 1
ANNOUNCED MEASURES THE GOVERNMENT WAS TAKING TO
ENSURE EQUITY UNDER THE FARMER INPUT SUPPORT
PROGRAMM. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO REPORT TO THE HOUSE THAT ALL FARMERS THAT HAVE TO THIS DATE RECEIVED
THEIR INPUTS UNDER THE FARMER INPUT SUPPORT PROGRAMME RECEIVED SIX BAGS OF 50KGS FERTILISER AND
ONE IOKG BAG OF MAIZE SEED IN ALL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP TO ATTAINING EQUITY IN
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME.
MADAM SPEAKER,
IN THE 2021/2022 AGRICULTURAL SEASON, A TOTAL OF
FARMERS WERE TARGETED TO BENEFIT FROM
FARMERS INPUT SUPPORT PROGRAMME SUBJECT TO MEETING THE PRESCRIBED CRITERIA SUCH AS PAYING THE FARMER
CONTRIBUTION OF 1<400.
FARMERS BEGAN DEPOSITING THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
PROGRAMME IN MAY, 2021. AS OF 14TH FEBRUARY 2022, ALL
THE TARGETED FARMERS HAD MADE THEIR 1<400 CONTRIBUTIONS, WITH A TOTAL OF DEPOSITED AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF AGRICULTURAL INPUTS IS
APPROACHING THE END.
MADAM SPEAKER,
AS YOU MAY RECALL, A TOTAL OF 214,721 METRIC TONNES OF
COMPOUND “D” AND 164,847.52 METRIC TONNES OF UREA WERE CONTRACTED BY GOVERNMENT. AS OF 14TH FEBRUARY
2022, OVER 201,031.90 METRIC TONNES AND 147,808.90 METRIC TONNES OF COMPOUND “D” FERTILISER AND UREA RESPECTIVELY, HAD BEEN DELIVERED TO THE DISTRICTS.
THIS REPRESENTS 93 PERCENT ON COMPOUND “D” AND 89 PERCENT ON UREA IN TERMS OF DELIVERY TO THE
DISTRICTS.
MADAM SPEAKER,
WITH REGARDS TO THE SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEED, GOVERNMENT SUPPLIED VARIOUS TYPES OF SEEDS AS
FOLLOWS;
1. MAIZE – 10,244.34 METRIC TONNES;
2. SOYA BEANS – 12,121.75 METRIC TONNES;
3. GROUNDNUTS – 6,494.60 METRIC TONNES;
4. SORGHUM – 1,029.11 METRIC TONNES.
TO DATE ALL THE CONTRACTED MAIZE, GROUNDNUTS AND SORGHUM SEED HAS BEEN SUPPLIED WHILE 99.89 PERCENT
OF SOYABEANS HAS BEEN SUPPLIED TO FARMERS.
MADAM SPEAKER,
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FISP HAD SOME CHALLENGES.
DESPITE THSES CHALLNGES, 1 WISH TO STATE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE FARMERS HAVE RECEIVED THEIR INPUTS. IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE
PROGRAMME, THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE IS CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING A REVIEW OF THE FARMER INPUT SUPPORT
PROGRAMME.
MADAM SPEAKER,
ALLOW ME TO CONCLUDE BY ASSURING THE NATION THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS CLOSELY MONITORING THE FOOD
SECURITY SITUATION AND PROVIDING THE FARMERS WITH SUPPORT TO ENSURE THEY ADDRESS ANY CHALLENGES
FACED.
MADAM SPEAKER, 1 THANK YOU.
