By Isaac Zulu
National Democratic Congress leader Saboi Imboela has said that phasing out the Farmer Input Support Programme will be retrogressive.
In interview, Imboela said that the decision by the UPND government to phase out the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) would kill the agriculture sector.
She noted that small holder farmers, especially in rural areas, have been finding it difficult to access farming inputs using the electronic voucher system and the conversion way of distributing fertilizer and seed, saying the introduction of soft loans for small scale farmers will just disadvantage rural farmers.
“Small scale farmers have been facing difficulties accessing farming inputs using the methods they have been using, including the E-voucher system,” Imboela said. “So you don’t expect them to improve the system by introducing the so called soft loans for small scale farmers. These soft loans that they are talking about will just disadvantage farmers in rural areas and, eventually, kill the agriculture sector. This should not even be encouraged.”
Imboela said that the loan component under the Constituency Development Fund is failing and wondered how “the soft loans” for small holder farmers will succeed.
“We should not be experimenting with a sector, such as agriculture, which plays a pivotal role in ensuring that national food security is guaranteed. Already the loans under the Constituency Development Fund is failing. I, therefore, wonder how the soft loans for small scale farmers will be a success,” she said.
She said that governments all over the world have strong social welfare systems, questioning the rationale behind the UPND’s decision to do away with subsidies.
“Any government and country the world over; including America, have strong social welfare systems such as housing for the elderly, child protection and all that. In as much as they say agriculture is a business, they should also know that the social welfare aspect is part of the Farmer Input Support Programme,” said Imboela.
