Farmers in traditional authorities (T/As) Ndindi and Kambalame in Salima District have expressed optimism that they will realise bumper harvests, courtesy of fertiliser under the National Economic Empowerment Fund (Neef).
They expressed the sentiments on Tuesday when Neef board of directors toured the district to appreciate the crops.
One of the farmers, Saidi Mataya, from Chensonya Village in T/A Ndindi said he obtained seven bags of fertilisers from Neef.
He said: “The maize in both farms is doing well and I expect a bumper harvest. I expect to harvest enough for food and the surplus for sale.
“I am optimistic that I will repay the loan and access more fertiliser as I plan to expand my field next season.”
Mataya said the loan facility motivated him to take farming as a business.
“I want to graduate from subsistence farming because I now have access to farm inputs unlike in the past when accessing fertiliser was difficult,” he said.
Another farmer Fazila Adam, from Chituwile Village in T/A Kambalame, said he would not have realised a bumper yield without Neef fertiliser.
“I thank Neef for lending us farm inputs. As you can see, I expect a good harvest this year,” he said.
Neef board director Limbikani Kachiwaya said the farm inputs loan programme is a means of ending hunger in the country.
He said: “The country has been facing hunger for a long time and these farm inputs are meant to end the problem. We are satisfied with the crop outlook as it looks promising.
“We look forward to expanding the programme as farmers are requesting more commodities such as seeds and pesticides.”
