Paramount Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people of Northern Province has urged seed companies to come up with strategies of sharing information with farmers about the varieties they are promoting.
Paramount Chief Chitimukulu has told Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo, who paid a courtesy call on him in Kasama, that some companies have a tendency of dumping seed on farmers without explaining how good the varieties are.
He has also proposed that farmers who benefit from the Farmer Input Support Programme -FISP- should sell at least 50 percent of their maize to the Food Reserve Agency, FRA so as to contribute to the country’s food security.
And Mr Katambo assured Paramount Chief Chitimukulu that his ministry will engage seed companies on the need to share knowledge and information with farmers about the varieties they supply.
Mr Katambo said in the current era of changing climatic conditions, it is important for farmers to be fully knowledgeable about the seed varieties they plant.
He further said seed companies should share information with farmers on the importance of practicing smart agriculture in the advent of climate change.
