Tue, 04 Jul 2017 11:14:10 +0000
By JACKSON MAPAPAYI
KABOMPO district commissioner Shatewa Ndumba has assured farmers in the district that the electronic voucher system will help ease timely access to farm inputs.
Ms. Ndumba said Government has scaled up the e-voucher system countrywide because it has placed agriculture as priority for economic development and job creation.
She said the introduction of the e-voucher system was meant to save resources through elimination of costs of procurement, transportation and others associated with FISP administration.
“Through the e-voucher, it is expected that farmers will graduate from dependence on rain-fed agriculture and engage in commercialised all-year-round farming,” Ms Ndumba said.
And district agriculture coordinator, Peter Chibizwe disclosed that government has allocated 7000 packs of the inputs to the district for the 2017/2018 farming season.
He said the rolling out of the e-voucher is intended to further increase private sector participation in agriculture input marketing and promote agriculture diversification.
He urged all registered cooperatives in the district to work with camp extension officers and his office to ensure that farmers receive the inputs once they were made available.
Mr Chibizwe assured farmers that Government has addressed the challenges the e-voucher faced initially and therefore, farmers would receive inputs on time and without difficulties.
