Zambia: The government of Zambia wants to mechanize the agriculture sector of the country. Minister of Agriculture, Mtolo Phiri announced that they want to ensure that the sector is proficient such that farmers can take agriculture up as a thriving business.
The new administration of the country encouraged the the farmers to do away with labour intensive traditional farming methods. They must start using mechanized equipment to enable efficiency and whole round agriculture.
The minister made these renarks during the handover of the state of the are agriculture equipment donation by the World Food Programme ( WFP). The donation was made to a women’s group called Tiyendele Pamodzi Savings and Credit Cooperative, in Katete District.
“We want in the next near future, this generation of young people should not know a hoe and how painful it is. But for us to forget about the hoe what needs to happen is that we need to bring such equipment as these tractors, what we need is to have livestock like cattle and have a plough,” he said.
Minister Phiri highlighted that it was government’s will ensure whole year round agriculture. To support this vision, the administration will also provide irrigation systems.
“There is also another thing that will be introduce in future. We are going to bring machinery that will support irrigation from the streams, from underground so that we continue with farming or have whole year round agriculture,” said the agriculture minister, Mtolo Phiri.
WFP Country Director Cissy Byenkya also pledged the institutions commitment to supplementing government’s effort. The WFP wants to see farmers adopt climate smart agriculture practices that included mechanised farming.
“The WFP under the current country strategic plan (2023 to 2028) is committed to supporting smallholder farmers especially women and youths to adopt productivity enhancing technologies including mechanisation and water efficient irrigation systems to increase food and income security,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tiyendele Pamodzi Savings and Credit Cooperative representative, Prisca Bwalya, appreciated the timely gesture to better their lives.
“We started our savings group in 2020 and we received our trainings from WFP. We saved about three times and after that we had a share out, on our last share out, we had K172, 000-00.
“ So WFP noticed our commitment and decided to support us with such equipment as the tractor that you are seeing. So we are grateful to WFP and government for bringing such an initiative to us,” she said.