Maize production in the province has been increasing in the last five years. This has been attributed to better prices offered to farmers and availability of credit facilities from the Agricultural Finance Corporation and other lending institutions.
Mr Nyambuya said that last year, favourable weather pattern also contributed. He further said that the 60 per cent increase in crop acreage was boosted by the Government's provision of seeds.
"The entry of private sector in maize production and our field visits, were other factors that saw maize production increase," he said.
Despite the good progress, Mr Nyambuya noted, the province was still faced with many challenges including declining soil fertility due to poor mechanisation, and outdated farming procedures.
He said many farmers were subdividing their land into smaller and uneconomical units. Mr Nyambuya said the Government ought to formulate clear land use policy to overcome such problems.
Source: The Nation
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