Chongwe Farmers Appeal to Govt to Provide Market for Local Indegenous Seed Other Than Maize

Farmers in Chongwe district have charged that the current agriculture systems which highly promote the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) through maize has killed the zeal among farming communities to grow other crops.

Speaking at the just ended advocacy meeting organized by Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) in Lusaka, one of the farmers, Theresa Chewe said this is because people concentrate more on growing what they will be able to sale than crops that will not have a ready market.

Ms. Chewe stated that there must be a link between FISP and Food Reserve Agency (FRA) so that other nutritious crops that are produced by local farmers can also be bought by the Agency.

“So, if you are not able to sale your sweet potatoes or cassava, and water melons among others, you will not be encouraged to grow them on a large scale but on a small scale for home consumption.”

“So, our appeal is that there should be a linkage between FISP and FRA so that all these other crops that are nutritious and healthy and easily grown, can also be bought. FRA through government has a window of marketing this even outside Zambia. In doing that, the farmer will grow crops which they will sale and thereby promote food security in the country,” Ms. Chewe asserted.

She stressed the need to ensure that local indigenous seed has equal rights like the other seed.

“If in the FISP pack there was local maize seed known as Gankata or hybrid which one can swipe, the farmer will make a choice and take that which will be beneficial to them.”

“There are a lot of indigenous seeds which are never found in any agro-dealer shop. We need to know which farmer grows this so that we can buy and do intercropping with the maize.”

She added that FRA and Seed Breeders should have a relationship that ensures a wholistic agriculture system in Zambia considering that farming is a business.

“FRA should not continue to kill the zeal of farmers by concentrating on white maize only,” she said.

And Ms. Chewe stated that the proposed amendment of the Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) Bill should not infringe on farmers’ rights but encourage the production of seeds like beans and sweet potatoes so that people can be having balanced meals.

“My appeal is that as you debate this Bill, it should not infringe on the rights of the local farmers. Also, when talk about breeding seed, it should not weigh heavily on the maize seed, we need other seeds that will make our meals balanced.”

“So, if seed breeders and the law that is being proposed can encourage the production of seeds like beans and many others so that we might have balanced meals which will give sufficient nutrients to the body to allow ourselves to be healthy and our children can have a good IQ,” Ms. Chewe suggested.

Meanwhile, another farmer Mavis Chikumbi called on government to provide a ready market for local seed which farmers sale to their fellow growers because it is not bought by FRA.

“Local seed is better than hybrid. As Farmers, we did not have to wait for FISP. FISP brought hunger because of the cumbersome processes in accessing seed. Local maize seed has really helped us than FISP. Hybrid affected our yields due to climate change, that is why there is hunger in the country.”

“I am able to sale my Gankata maize seed at K2, 400 to those who do not have it, then I buy a K50 kg bag from FRA at K330. We appeal to government to give us local seed and look for market. FRA does not buy local seed, we sale on farmer-to-farmer basis. Help us by buying our local seed so that we can have enough money in our pockets as farmers,” Ms. Chikumbi stated.