President Hakainde Hichilema has urged traditional leaders to tell their subjects to keep enough maize for their own families, warning that an El Niño-induced drought is coming and that no one should say they were not told. The Head of State spoke at the 2026 Samu Lya Moomba…

President Hakainde Hichilema has urged traditional leaders to tell their subjects to keep enough maize for their own families, warning that an El Niño-induced drought is coming and that no one should say they were not told.

The Head of State spoke at the 2026 Samu Lya Moomba traditional ceremony in Bweengwa, Monze, his first traditional ceremony since his re-election. He assured the nation that the Government will ensure that no one dies of hunger, but said households must also take responsibility by preserving adequate food stocks.

Mr Hichilema put the request to the chiefs directly. He said traditional leaders could “inform our people to retain as much maize as possible for your own family consumption because we have a drought and don’t say we were not told”.

“Please keep as much maize so that we can protect our children from going hungry,” the President said.

He warned that the drought alert should not be taken lightly. He asked traditional leaders to make sure communities, particularly children and vulnerable people, are protected from hunger.

The President also advised farmers to store their maize in granaries rather than in sacks. Households are more likely to sell grain kept in sacks when they need money, he said.

The Government is already preparing programmes with traditional leaders and other partners to support vulnerable communities. It is also working with the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to rehabilitate existing storage sheds in communities, a step Mr Hichilema said will cut the cost of moving maize from production areas to storage facilities and back to consuming centres.

He invited private individuals to invest in storage that the FRA can later rent.

“A 30×20 storage shed under the FRA specifications is only costing K1.8 million. You can invest back in your village. K1.8 million and FRA will rent your shed. But it will preserve the crop right at the local communities,” Mr Hichilema said.

The President urged Zambians to increase production and become producers rather than merely consumers. A hungry country cannot be a happy country, he said.

Farmers in Chief Choongo‘s area were encouraged to venture into wheat and soya beans, two crops the Government has marked for higher output under the Grow Zambia Agenda. Mr Hichilema said he has shown what wheat can do by cultivating 400 hectares in the area, with the crop sold to a customer at US$550 per tonne.

On water, he said the Government will allocate substantial resources to drought-prone areas to protect communities and support economic activity. Funds have already been allocated, and additional funding is expected in the 2027 national budget.

He asked Members of Parliament and other elected leaders to direct a large share of Constituency Development Fund resources to water harvesting.

Livestock was also on his list. Mr Hichilema called for stronger disease control to protect the country’s target of earning US$1 billion from livestock exports, and said the Government will support communities with additional dip tanks in areas targeted for increased livestock production.

On payments to farmers, he said the Government remains committed to making sure the FRA pays them. The agency has performed better this year than last year, he added.

Mr Hichilema urged Zambians to preserve their cultural heritage, noting that the Samu Lya Moomba site is historically important because it was used to mobilise resources during the struggle for independence.

Chief Choongo pledged to support the Government’s efforts to reduce the effects of El Niño. The chief congratulated the President on his re-election, thanked him for declaring the Samu Lya Moomba ceremonial site a national heritage site, and said the country was in safe hands.

Mr Hichilema, for his part, pledged to donate a pontoon to the chiefdom to improve connectivity and support community needs.

Southern Province Acting Permanent Secretary Gift Monde said the province is preparing to limit the effects of the expected weather on people, livestock and crops. He urged farmers not to sell their entire harvest and to make sure household food needs are adequately covered.

Mr Monde also asked traditional leaders and communities to safeguard food security and protect livestock from foot-and-mouth disease. He encouraged partnerships in sustainable forest management and carbon trading as an alternative source of income for communities.

Programmes for vulnerable communities are already being prepared, and additional funding for water provision in drought-prone areas is expected in the 2027 national budget.