{"id":361785,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/361785/?format=json","text_counter":443,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"THAT, aware that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) is now procuring fertilizers, which is not its core mandate; cognizant of the fact that this had led to delays in the importation and procurement of the necessary inputs for the farmers in a timely manner; noting with concern that fertilizers are arriving after the planting season; deeply concerned that this is affecting food security in the country as fertilizers are key inputs in farming; also noting that this lack of inputs is affecting farm yields, and impoverishing farmers, this House urges the Government to set up a fertilizer board that manages issues of fertilizers and other farming inputs, while offering subsidized inputs to farmers, and also fast-track the process of setting up a factory to produce fertilizers and other farming inputs locally in the long-term."}