Choma farmers happy with early delivery on agro inputs

—-Farmers in Choma district have praised the government for delivering inputs in time to help them prepare adequately for the 2014/2015 farming season.

 

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS today, one of the farmers, Willis Kapeyo from Chief Macha’s area, said it was encouraging to note that the government has heard farmers’ pleas for early delivery of inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

 

Mr Kapeyo explained that farmers were particularly happy that most of them have since received all the farming inputs and were all geared for the farming.

 

“Most of us have already received all the necessary inputs unlike in the past years when farmers had to beg government to deliver inputs in time and I can say we are ready for farming now,” said Mr Kapeyo.

 

He said the gesture by the government to deliver farming inputs long before the rainy season would certainly ensure yet another historic bumper harvest in the forth-coming farming season.

 

Choma District Agricultural Coordinator, Goliath Chooye, said the district started distributing inputs to the targeted 24, 335 small scale farmers.

 

Mr Chooye said so far the district has received 24, 335 by 10 kg pockets of maize seed, 48,670 by 50 kg bags of  D- Compound, 23, 335 by 50 kg bags of urea with the reaming balance of 25, 335 bags to be delivered to the district soon.

 

He said each farmer was receiving one pack as per government guidelines, adding that farmers are expected to pay K400 for each pack.

 

The country in the last farming season recorded a bumper harvest of over more than 3 million metric tonnes of maize attributed to early delivery of inputs and good rainfall pattern in most parts of the country.