‘SHORTAGE OF SEED TO HIT ZAMBIA’

ZAMBIA must be ready for high prices and shortage of seed this coming season due to the prevailing drought, the National Association for Smallholder Farmers (NASFA) has warned.

Speaking to The Scoop, NASFA, Executive Director Frank Kayula said this year, the country may suffer a challenge of seed unavailability as he anticipated very low maize production.

Dr. Kayula said such an issue was critical to the country’s agriculture sector and needed to be addressed hence the need for preparedness in instances where seed might not be sufficient.

“We are likely to face seed challenges this year as it is likely to be expensive and in short supply,” Dr. Kayula said.

He explained that the challenge was resulting from last year having sold seed in its entirety and that as a result, this season, farmers needed to have sufficient seed for the coming season.

He however, commended the Zambia SeedCo for thinking ahead and planting huge hectares of winter seed.

He also observed that soybeans may also be in short supply as areas like Central, Copperbelt, Southern and Eastern Provinces that grow such seeds were equally affected by the drought.

He called on the Government through the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI) and Zambia Seed Trade Association (ZASTA) to see if the country could prepare for other sources of seed and possible emergency seed availability.

And the Government through the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Minister, Elias Mubanga disclosed that loans were available through the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) for small scale farmers who wished to venture into winter maize production.

Meanwhile, Environmentalist James Matches has called on farmers to get back to indigenous crops like sorghum, Cassava and Millet which are more drought resistant, stating that successive Governments through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had never taken keen interest in indigenous crop production and marketing.

Mr. Matches in an interview explained that Zambia needed to move towards a stronger promotion of Agroecology organic farming, as that was a practice in most rural and peri-urban communities of Zambia.

He emphasized the need to invest in information and also to push food security and promote Agroecology farming and protect the environment.

He added that during the current drought management period, the Government and those tasked must take precautions especially in the line of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) maize, as it must be noted that food security must be the preserve of the communities, with the Government providing an enabling environment.