By CHATULA KANGALI –
THE Zambia Farmers Union (ZNFU) has urged Government to  make operational farm blocs which are currently on brownfield stage in the country.
ZNFU president Jervis Zimba said there were a number of farm blocs that needed to be finished in the country.
Mr  Zimba cited some of them as Nansanga in Central Province, Kanchibiya in Muchinga Province, Litoya in North-Western Province, Nayantara in Lusaka Province, TBZ in Western Province and Luna in Luapula Province.
He said the farm blocs which were categorised as brownfields required little work for them to be functional.
He said the finishing of the farm blocs would spur agriculture diversification and turn the country into the food basket.
“A good example is the Nansanga Farm bloc where Government has already spent millions of Kwacha in surveying, modeling, and on physical infrastructure such as roads, electricity and dams. Nansanga is a brownfield that just needs amenities to kick-start it,” he said.
Mr Zimba said that there were a number of small-scale and emergent farmers that expressed interest to undertake agricultural activities at Nansanga bloc.
He said the proposed greenfield models in Muchinga, Northern and Copperbelt Provinces would require full financing and  might take long hence the need to finish up old ones.
Mr Zimba said the union commended Government for responding to the farmers’ call in the 2018  budget to increase agriculture extension officers.
He said the employment of 750 extension officers next year would help small-scale farmers  improve productivity of both crops and livestock.
He said the increase in extension officers would also help improve the flow of information on agriculture trends and market intelligence leading to improved productivity and production in the country.