Melo News | Monday, March 18, 2024 | Lusaka
President Richard Silumbe of the Opposition Leadership Movement has expressed his disappointment with the government’s lack of preparedness in dealing with the drought that has affected certain parts of the country and has had a negative impact on the agriculture sector. He believes that measures such as irrigation and the establishment of Zambia National Service (ZNS) farms should have been implemented before the drought hit to ensure continuous production.
Dr. Silumbe has raised concerns that the government’s unpreparedness will exacerbate the scarcity of food, leading to a rise in prices and pushing more people, especially those in rural areas most affected by the drought, into poverty. He emphasizes that the government should have learned from previous experiences with climate change and should not solely rely on small-scale farmers for national food production.
Additionally, Dr. Silumbe has predicted that the current drought, combined with power outages, will result in higher food prices, particularly for staple items like mealie meal. This is because the production capacity of millers will decrease due to electricity shortages, further worsening the situation. It is clear that Dr. Silumbe is deeply concerned about the government’s lack of proactive measures to mitigate the impact of the drought and its potential consequences on the agriculture sector and the overall well-being of the people.
