Northern Province Minister Gerry Chanda  has strongly castigated Nyiombo Investment Limited for failing to supply adequate fertilizer to vulnerable farmers in the province.

Col Chanda has since given Nyiombo an ultimatum of up to January 20 this year to delivery all the fertilizer allocated to the province failure to which government will take serious action against the fertilizer firm.

The minister, who was visibly annoyed, told Nyiombo Investment Limited Assistant Regional Manager Paul Mutale during a stakeholders meeting in Kasama that his company will be held responsibility if Northern province were to experience food insecurity.

He said it is unacceptable for Nyiombo to delay the delivery of D-compound and Urea despite having a contractual obligation with government.

Col Chanda charged that he will not tolerate excuses by the fertilizer firm that the delay in delivering the farming inputs was due to government’s initial delay in awarding the contract to the company to supply the commodity.

He observed that Nyiombo Investment limited consented to the provision of the contract to supply fertilizer in good time but wondered why it was failing to honour its obligation.

Col Chanda said it would be embarrassing for the people of Northern province to ask for relief food from government when the area is well known for bumper harvests in maize production.

And Mr Mutale said the delay by Nyiombo in delivering fertilizer to Northern province was due to transportation problems facing the company in ferrying fertilizer from Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania to Zambia.

He however said his company was doing everything possible to overcome the challenges of meeting its obligation of supplying fertilizer to the expectant farmers.

Mr Mutale further promised to relay the message to his superiors in Lusaka that government was not happy with the performance of Nyiombo Investment Limited in Northern province.

Sports and Youth Minister Chishimba Kambwili has warned of stern action against any institution engaging in child sex tourism ahead of the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference.

Mr Kambwili said this in a speech read on his behalf by Youth Development Director, Collins Mulonda at the launch of the Campaign Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth in Tourism (CASECIT) in Lusaka yesterday.

Mr Kambwili noted with sadness that some anti-social behaviors and other vices have crept into the tourism sector such as one aspect of tourism called child sex tourism.

He said the scourge involves tourists coming into the country mainly to have sex with children and youths which stands as the worst form of sexual exploitation in the country.

Mr Kambwili said the government is against such forms of tourism and will not entertain or support it in any place in the country as it was illegal.

And Chief Tourism Development Officer John Chiluwe said tourism plays a vital role in national development and that if well developed can contribute largely to economic growth.

Mr Chiluwe said though Zambian tourism is still new and upcoming, it has positive and negative aspects and that it has not been spared from child sex tourism which is taking place in some parts of the country though not rampant.

He noted that there was need to exploit more viable and sustainable avenues in the sector if tourism is to benefit the country.

Meanwhile, CASECIT Executive Director Michael Ndelela said his organization will seek to finish physical and social exploitation of children in tourism.

Mr Ndelela said his organization will work in partnership with line ministries such as the Gender and Child Development, Tourism and also Sports and Youth as well as the Police and the Media in eradication of child sexual exploitation in the country.

He said CASECIT will also engage the private sector such as hotels, lodges and tour operators in creating awareness against the vice as it is bound to take place in these premises