Irrigation project - Agriculture and
Livestock Minister Emmanuel Chenda has said the World Bank funded irrigation
project which will cover 5,000 hectares in three provinces, is expected to take
off by the end of this year. Mr Chenda said in Lusaka that the Government was
addressing the administrative process, expected to be completed soon. He said
it was the Government's mandate to ensure that the process was quickened for
the farmers to benefit.
About 1,300 small-holder farmers would benefit from the irrigation facilities in the three identified sites.
The minister said it was in the best interest of the Government to ensure that the small-holder farmers benefit from this project as it was the only way of being food secure.
'We have moved but not at the pace we would have loved to. I know that we are looking for a consultancy for this project and we recently had meetings and we stepped up the team that will be administering this particular project and we hope the administration process can be quickened so that the process can take off,' he said.
'The Government is committed to stepping up the IDSP because this business of depending on the rains was not sustainable in terms of food security, alleviating poverty in the rural areas.
'So the best shot is to ensure that the peasant farmers are engaged throughout the year and the only avenue that is going to keep them busy is irrigation and we are very much determined to ensure that this project takes off very quickly.'
The first phase of the project will cover a total of 5,000 hectares in Southern, Central and Copperbelt provinces and the second phase of the project would look at developing the Lumwana and Kasama irrigation sites in North-Western and Northern provinces.
Last year, the Government signed a financing deal of US$115 million with the World Bank for irrigation infrastructure under Irrigation Development and Support Project.
The Times of Zambia
About 1,300 small-holder farmers would benefit from the irrigation facilities in the three identified sites.
The minister said it was in the best interest of the Government to ensure that the small-holder farmers benefit from this project as it was the only way of being food secure.
'We have moved but not at the pace we would have loved to. I know that we are looking for a consultancy for this project and we recently had meetings and we stepped up the team that will be administering this particular project and we hope the administration process can be quickened so that the process can take off,' he said.
'The Government is committed to stepping up the IDSP because this business of depending on the rains was not sustainable in terms of food security, alleviating poverty in the rural areas.
'So the best shot is to ensure that the peasant farmers are engaged throughout the year and the only avenue that is going to keep them busy is irrigation and we are very much determined to ensure that this project takes off very quickly.'
The first phase of the project will cover a total of 5,000 hectares in Southern, Central and Copperbelt provinces and the second phase of the project would look at developing the Lumwana and Kasama irrigation sites in North-Western and Northern provinces.
Last year, the Government signed a financing deal of US$115 million with the World Bank for irrigation infrastructure under Irrigation Development and Support Project.
The Times of Zambia
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