LUSAKA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Tuesday said there have been notable improvements in the management of a government-subsidized farmer input program.
The Farmer Input Support Program introduced to support small farmers has been facing challenges each farming season, such as delay in the distribution of the inputs or failure by farmers to contribute their share of the funds.
But Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo reiterated the government's commitment to addressing all the identified problems, adding that preparations are underway to ensure a smooth delivery of the program in the current season.
So far 800,000 out of the targeted 1 million smallholders across the country have deposited their contributions to access the farming inputs, the minister said.
The government, Katambo said, has also extended the deadline for the depositing of contributions up to this month's end to wait for the remaining farmers to contribute so that they could access the inputs, and to ensure that all agro-dealers are paid on time. Enditem
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