Melo News | Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | Lusaka
The Zambian government has issued a directive to the Zambia National Service (ZNS) to immediately begin preparations for cultivating irrigated maize across all its farms using center pivot irrigation equipment. In response to this directive, Lieutenant General Maliti Solochi, the ZNS Commander, has announced the suspension of wheat cultivation for this year. The aim is to allocate all available irrigation equipment to the production of maize. This decision comes after the country’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, declared a national disaster and emergency due to the drought situation in the country.
In order to effectively implement the President’s directive and facilitate the necessary measures, Hon Lufuma has established a Drought Disaster and Emergency Response Team. This team will coordinate the swift execution of the President’s directive and work towards the implementation of measures put forth by the Ministry. During a media briefing, Minister of Defence Honourable Ambrose Lwiji Lufuma emphasized the government’s commitment to mitigating the impact of the drought by utilizing the country’s Defence Force to expand irrigation schemes and engage in off-season maize production.
Minister Lufuma highlighted that the President had previously outlined the importance of leveraging the Defence Force to expand irrigation schemes as a means of increasing food production. As the Ministry of Defence, they are mobilizing the strengths and discipline of the Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force, and Zambia National Service (ZNS) to swiftly take action and ensure the availability of staple food in the country. The Minister has assigned the three Defence Wings with the responsibility of implementing various short and medium-term measures. These measures include streamlining the distribution of Eagles mealie meal and establishing partnerships with private millers to ensure fair pricing and widespread availability of staple commodities throughout the country.
Hon Lufuma emphasized the importance of the three Defence Wings developing effective irrigation strategies in a timely manner, in order to facilitate the Ministry’s efforts to secure funding. The Minister also requested that ZNS provide technical and mechanical support to its Sister Services, taking into consideration their extensive experience in agricultural production and possession of an earth-moving equipment wing. Furthermore, the Minister instructed ZNS to collaborate with extension officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, sharing their tested agricultural knowledge and best practices with local farmers in the vicinity of ZNS locations.
The ZNS Commander disclosed that the Service plans to cultivate 1,978 hectares of irrigated maize by the end of July this year, with an estimated yield of approximately 15,000 metric tonnes of maize grain by the end of the third quarter. Additionally, Lt Gen Solochi announced the expansion of ZNS Production Units with the inclusion of two new farms: Shikabeta in Rufunsa and Luena farms in Kawambwa, covering 128 and 520 hectares respectively.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Zambia Army, Lieutenant General Dennis Sitali Alibuzwi, expressed the urgency to devise effective strategies to address the natural calamity that has impacted the country. The Zambia Air Force Commander, Lieutenant General Oscar Nyoni, also shared that his Institution has commenced preparations to utilize its Lufwanyama farm for production. Furthermore, active engagements have been initiated with local traditional leaders to acquire additional land parcels for farm expansion. Lt Gen Nyoni also informed the Minister of Defence that he has coordinated with his ZNS counterpart to deploy earth-moving machinery for land clearing, which is currently being processed by ZNS.
