The Corteva Agriscience Zambia Limited has launched the season 2 Limani Muwine sales Promotion for Farmers in a bid to help them improve their farming practices, and add value to their lives.
Speaking during the launch of the 2023 Limani Muwine sales promotion attended by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Corteva Agriscience Zambia Limited Managing Director Samson Nyendwa said the projected total number of winners this year has jumped from 58 last year to 14,500. He said the promotion will be run in 119 shops with instant prizes, unlike last year when winners would only be known at the Month’s end.
He noted that around 95% of Maize production in Zambia both for National food security and export is produced by small-scale/subsistence farmers, Yet the majority of these farmers remain in abject poverty, as they cannot afford roofing sheets on their houses, solar lighting. He said farming is hard labor, and mechanization is key to increasing productivity, but noted that the majority of farmers cannot afford mechanization and lack critical information on the best farming practices, thereby impacting productivity.
Nyendwa said that farming is business, and farmers must make profits but questioned as to how farmers can make profits if they cannot produce efficiently and profitably. He said it is saddening to see the low yields the country keeps recording season in season out. “There is an urgent need to bridge the yield gap between actual, which averages 1.8mt/ha, and potential of averaging 10mt/ha. We need to, collectively with all key stakeholders, help farmers improve productivity by initiatives such as we are launching today and offering our farmers agronomy services and adoption of best agricultural practices” said Nyendwa. He said having seen how successful the first Limani Muwine! The promotion was to help farmers improve their farming practices, and add value to their livelihood, Corteva decided to roll out a second round of Limani Muwine Sales promotion.
He noted that in the 2022/23 sales promotion, the total number of participating agro-dealers was 70 drawn from across the country and the number of those who benefited, winning different prizes, was 58. He said this year the promotion is bigger and better with well-thought-out prizes that will significantly enrich the farmers. “The intention of this Corporate Social Responsibility alias sales promotion dubbed Limani Muwine Nafuti Nafuti has been to enrich all our farmers across the country. However, in line with the fundamentals of economics, we needed to apply scarce resources evenly so that all farmers across the country could benefit. We never wanted to select one district or region because farmers are spread across the country. This is the reason why we came up with a strategy for Farmers buying 2x10kg of either Pannar or Pioneer maize hybrids from any of our participating agro dealers dotted across the country, will have an opportunity to get a scratch card which when scratched will reveal instant prizes ranging from bicycles ox carts, complete house solar lighting and many more” said Nyendwa.
“This year we are projecting a total number of winners to be 14,500 and promotion to be run in 119 shops. Instant prizes, unlike last year when winners would only be known at the Month’s end.” He added.
Nyendwa said this promotion will enable Corteva to create a database of real farmers in addition to what was collected last season, through which ongoing agronomy support and Agricultural best practices will be tailored in an effort to close the yield gap
Nyendwa further disclosed that all participating farmers will be pooled for a grand draw for a grand prize of a brand-new tractor.
“This is part of our continued CSR aimed at helping boost Zambia’s crop productivity, narrowing the yield gap, enriching farmers, and promoting farming as a business and enabler of Zambia’s economic development and food security,” said Nyendwa.
