. Lubinda

By JAMES KUNDA –
THE Government has directed Nyiombo Investments Limited to replace the substandard Urea fertiliser distributed to some farmers in Kitwe and Lufwanyama under this year’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda said the firm had been given 14 days in which to complete the exercise so that the affected farmers could receive the commodity ahead of the planting season.
Mr Lubinda said this in a ministerial statement to Parliament yesterday to address concerns on the quality of fertiliser distributed to the farmers.
Nyiombo was contracted to supply 14,519 by 50 kilogramme bags of Urea to Kitwe farmers and 22,740 by 50 kilogramme bags of the commodity to farmers in Lufwanyama.
But following inspections by officials from the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) and the FISP coordination office, more than 50 per cent of the bags of the consignment had caked.
“The moisture content in the fertiliser was high resulting in the formation of a solid cake of fertiliser in the bag. My ministry has recommended that all caked fertiliser be replaced with free flowing fertiliser and no farmer should accept a bag that is open or contains caked fertiliser,” he said.
Mr Lubinda ordered that the fertiliser, which will be repacked, should be calibrated by the Zambia Weights and Measures Agency (ZWMA) prior to delivery.
“The consignments of fertiliser yet to be delivered to Kitwe and Lufwanyama, 10,580 and 11,305 bags, respectively, should be constantly monitored to ensure that only free-flowing fertiliser is allowed into the Nyiombo sheds,” he added.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Richwell Siamunene told the House the board of inquiry instituted to probe the emergency landing of a Zambia Air Force (ZAF) helicopter in Gwembe District was still doing its work.
Mr Siamunene said the findings of the inquiry would be made public as soon as investigations into the matter were concluded.
He was responding to Mazabuka Central UPND Member of Parliament (MP) Garry Nkombo who asked why a ZAF helicopter crush-landed in Chief Munyumbwe’s area in Gwembe on September 14 this year.
Mr Nkombo sought information on the number of people aboard the helicopter, fatalities recorded, rescue of the victims and how old the aircraft was.
“Mr Speaker, I must correct the impression that the helicopter crashed because what occurred was merely an emergency landing.
“There were five people on board, but no fatalities were recorded and when the investigations into the matter are concluded, the findings will be made public,” Mr Siamunene said.
The helicopter, which has since been recovered, has been in existence for the past seven years.