The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services has joined the rest of the nation in celebrating the bumper harvest, with forecasts projecting over 3.6 million metric tons of produce.
President Hakainde Hichilema has since commended farmers across the country for their dedication and resilience, which has led to the bumper harvest, following a drought in the 2023/2024 season which was declared a national disaster.
The Ministry is therefore proud to have contributed to the success from both the traditional and wetland agriculture initiatives through agricultural based programmes such as the Food Security Pack (FSP) which supported over 152, 000 farmers resulting in the cultivation of 76,000 hectares of maize.
Ministry Permanent Secretary Ms. Angela Kawandami has expressed delight at the positive forecast, and has since urged FSP beneficiaries to respond to the President Hichilema’s call for sustained effort in ensuring domestic and national food security.
“As a Ministry, we are committed to delivering for the people through the implementation of programmes such as the FSP and other agricultural initiatives, as they not only contribute to national food security but improved social welfare of the nation,” she emphasized.
Ms Kawandami further highlighted the importance of adopting two agricultural cycles annually, as advocated by President Hichilema, to adapt to climate change and mitigate future shocks.
