Agriculture Minister  Dora Siliya says instead of crying over the maize floor price that was reduced from K85 to K60, it is important that farmers grow  more tonnages of the  staple crop to see value for their investment.

And Siliya who is Petauke Central Member of Parliament has warned farmers that there  is a possibility  that  Army Worms will reoccur in the next farming season.

Siliya said this during an Agricultural Productivity  Research Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) Conference at  Government Complex.

The Minister said farmers should grow more maize to accumulate enough profits for their maize stock.

Siliya said instead of  producing 3, 606, 546 metric  tonnes, farmers can go up  to 10,000 000 metric  tones to have enough maize for sell and for consumption.

” Farmers need to produce more maize to see value for their money,” she said.

Siliya said about 90% of the maize bumper harvest in the 2017 farming season was  cultivated by small scale farmers.

“..And  only 10 percent of that  harvest was  cultivated by commercial farmers. This  means we have a lot of job to do in the maize production,” Siliya said.

And the Minister called on farmers to diversify from maize production to other crops.

“Statistics have shown  that 40% of our children’s growth especially in rural areas is stunted and there is always nshima in those  areas. So my appeal is that farmers should grow other crops other than maize,” she said.

Siliya added that farmers should consider live stock farming  as the other means of survival.

She regretted that in most areas where they produce maize, there is no livestock, saying this is a huge setback in agriculture development.

“It is sad that nowadays when you visit the village, villagers are the ones that  are asking  whether you have  bought them village chicken from Soweto Market,”  Siliya said.

Farmers across the country have complained over the maize floor price that was reduced from K85 to K60.

Farmers say they spent a lot of money on farming input, therefore, the K60 per 25 KG of maize  they are compelled to sell the product  is a mockery.

Meanwhile, Siliya is worried that there is a possibility that army worms will once again attack crops this farming  season.

“Army Worms came to Africa from America through Nigeria but there are no longer in America because of the coldness. They have not been wiped out in Zambia because it is hot. We will have them this farming season so we have to be ready,” she said.