FAKE FERTILISER FLOODS CHIBOMBO

FAKE fertilizer has infiltrated the market in Chibombo District, Central Province and the sad development has a potential to affect crop production in the next farming season, Keembe Ward councillor Gift Mwenda has said.

Mr. Mwenda said some unscrupulous people believed to have come from Lusaka were supplying counterfeit fertilizer to unsuspecting small-scale farmers in the area.

He told The Scoop that some small-scale farmers in the area have of late been victims of counterfeit fertilizers.

He explained people offloading counterfeit commodities on the market were using the certified bags from well-known fertilizer suppliers hence making it difficult for vulnerable farmers to identify the product.

The civic leader who is also a subsistence farmer disclosed that recently, some unscrupulous people believed to have come from 10 Miles and Lusaka District were arrested in Keembe Constituency after they were found selling counterfeit fertilizer.

He called on the Government to intervene through the Ministry of Agriculture and security wings to quickly get hold of culprits.

“Having fake seeds and fertilizer on the market is going to affect the next harvest when the government is really putting in efforts to make sure they boost the agriculture sector.

“Our appeal to the government is that this issue of fake fertilizer on the market should be stopped immediately,” Mr. Mwenda said.

He said the Government should come up with measures that will protect the famers from buying fake fertilisers all in the name of getting the commodity at a cheap price.

Mr. Mwenda said the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture should take proper information of who the genuine suppliers are and the prices at which they were selling their inputs so that the farmers out there know who they were dealing with.

He also warned farmers to be cautious with the agro suppliers they deal with and ensure that they got genuine inputs.