Zambians will not go hungry despite a disappointing rain season the country has experienced so far, the Minister of Agriculture has assured.
Ms. Dora Siliya said some parts of the country have been particularly affected with crops that were earlier planted going to waste due to poor rainfall.
The Minister was speaking in an interview Monday in Berlin, Germany, on the sidelines of the German/Africa Business Association meeting called for African countries to share their investment prospects in the agricultural sector with the German business community.
The Minister noted that as expected the country has seen more rains in ecological zone three consisting of parts of northern regions of Zambia, the Copperbelt, Central province and parts northwestern province.
“However, it is in these areas where the soil is quite acid and you don’t really expect a lot of return on the hectares in terms of harvest”, the Minister regretted.
Ms. Siliya said going forward government is expected to increase its investment in harvesting rain-water and the construction of dams thereby reducing dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
Ms. Siliya said her Ministry is monitoring the situation to ensure food security, food that is accessible and food that is affordable.
“We have asked all the districts to continue giving us reports so that in the next few weeks, we assess the impact of the partial drought and that of the army worms”, said the Minister assuring Zambians that government is on top of things.
Ms. Siliya said last year the Zambian government made some tough decisions that affected the private sector so that the food security of its citizens was assured.
Experts have warned that climate change will continue to affect food security and energy supply unless countries adopt measures to mitigate their impact.