Zambian Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya has been moved and replaced by Fisheries and Livestock Minister, Michael Katambo. President Edgar Lungu’s Spokesperson, Amos Chanda, announced the changes on Wednesday. Siliya has been moved to Ministry of Broadcasting and Information. She will also act as the government’s Chief Spokesperson. The incumbent, Kampamba…
As the outcry over delayed inputs stretched late into the planting season, Zambian Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya has warned she will dismiss officers found wanting in handling the 2017/’18 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). “Make no mistake, those found wanting will be dealt with. This will be the biggest dismissal…
More than 100 000 Zambian smallholder farmers under the government’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) are still in limbo. The programme, which was rolled out on a complete electronic voucher (e-voucher) payment system for the first time, targets 1 million farmers. “I have instructed the permanent secretary to ensure that…
Syndicates have diverted inputs meant for vulnerable farmers as part of the government’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), said Zambian President Edgar Lungu. “I’m aware of unscrupulous people who formed cooperatives for the sole purpose of getting fertiliser which they have exported in the region,” Lungu said. Also read: Zambian president…
The Zambian agricultural sector rests on the shoulders of an estimated 1.6 million smallholder farmers. It is envisaged that graduating them into commercial farming will create the much-needed impetus to dent high levels of poverty and unemployment. Nearly 3 decades after the initiation of agricultural market reforms in sub-Saharan Africa,…
The delay in distribution of farm inputs is a result of banks failing to distribute electronic voucher (e-voucher) cards to farmers, say Zambian Finance Minister Felix Mutati and his Agriculture counterpart Dora Siliya. The two ministers decried the performance of the last-mile enablers in the distribution of farmer inputs when…
The National Union of Small-scale Farmers of Zambia (NUSFAZ) says its members are being charged K650, instead of K400, by agro dealers to access inputs under the government-funded Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that civil servants, who are ineligible to access FISP, are among beneficiaries. “This…
Zambian President Edgar Lungu, incensed with the slow pace of farmer input delivery, has ordered the Ministers of Finance and Agriculture to immediately double efforts. This, as the latest evidence shows less than 4 000 of the 1 million smallholder farmer beneficiaries have already paid K400, but are yet to…
Despite repeated assurances by government that administering its Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) on a complete electronic voucher (e-voucher) system would overcome problems that have plagued the delivery of farmer inputs, the massive logistical operation seems to be in disarray. This, as the end of the planting season fast approaches…
Zambian smallholder farmers, long plagued by delays in accessing farming inputs, are unlikely to see any change this planting season, an investigation by Africanfarming.com has revealed. According to the investigation, the roll-out of the revamped and complete electronic (e-voucher) system was beset by a myriad of problems, including lack of…
The Zambian government will extend its Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) electronic voucher (e-voucher) system to livestock and fish farmers, said Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya. Siliya assured crop farmers that all systems are in place to ensure farm inputs are delivered on time. “We need to increase support to fish and…
The Zambian treasury has released funds in what might be a crucial step to avert problems like the payment of farmers and transporters, and the initial roll-out of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), under the full electronic voucher (e-voucher) payment system. The payment follows a directive by President Edgar…
The distribution of inputs under government’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) got off to a slow start, said the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU). “It is causing anxiety among farmers. The reports we have from all our facilitators are that farmers have not yet started to get their inputs,” said…
President Edgar Lungu has directed officials to deliver farmer inputs for the 2017/’18 season on time. “There is a heavy price to pay for those who frustrate this exercise,” Lungu said. Lungu decided to personally intervene after widespread complaints about last season’s delayed distribution of farming inputs. Distribution of inputs…
Zambian Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya says the distribution of farmer inputs for the 2017/2018 farming season starts on October 15. The Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) is migrating to a complete electronic voucher (e-voucher) payment system. Government will spend K1.8 billion to support one million smallholder farmers. “This year, we…
The World Bank has endorsed Zambia’s agricultural progress and urged for more investment to accelerate gains. Country manager Ina-Marlene Ruthenberg said despite progress, there is still a need for increased investment in the agriculture sector to reduce poverty. “Agriculture is a significant sector that needs concerted support to not only…
Zambian Finance Minister, Felix Mutati said 600 000 so-called ghost farmers were removed from the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), saving the treasury K1 billion. According to Mutati, the 1.6 million from the last farming season were littered with non-existent farmers and duplicate beneficiaries. He said the migration to a…
In the latest FISP scam scores of agriculture extension officers are allegedly selling yet to be released Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) electronic voucher (e-voucher) cards for the 2017/2018 farming season. Zambia National Association for Youth in Agriculture (ZNAYAD) president Lazarous Mulenga told local media the alleged practice of selling…
Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) president Jervis Zimba is cautioning that farmers will dump maize cultivation in the next farming season. His warning comes as the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) insists that its offer of K60/50kg for maize is final. “This will have dire consequences for national food security as…
Government is recruiting 472 more officers to boost its agriculture extension services, says Agriculture Permanent Secretary Julius Shawa. Shawa says improving inadequate staffing levels in various districts will expand agricultural extension services and help drive diversified growth. “Staffing levels are poor, with one camp officer attending to 1 000 farmers,”…
The decision by the Zambian government to reduce the number of Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) beneficiaries from 1.6 million to 1 million has caused panic among farmers. Small-scale farmers are appealing to government to reconsider, saying the move will affect their livelihood. “Last year we had 16 000 beneficiaries,…
The Zambian government has pruned 600 000 beneficiaries from its Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), while it announced the beginning of this years’ farming season as September 1. According to local media reports, Zambian Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya said the reduction is the result of effective targeting of intended beneficiaries…
Banks, the main conduit for the full-scale rollout of the electronic voucher (e-voucher) payment system for Zambia’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), have printed more than 500 000 cards for farmers. A survey by Africanfarming.com showed nearly all major retail banks are well ahead with the preparation of cards which…
The Zambian government has uncovered an alleged scam where a family formed cooperatives for the sole purpose of getting inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). This as the Ministry of Agriculture conducts a review of the programme to prevent abuses before the roll-out of FISP for the new…
