“To say that we are going to have a bumper harvest, we thank God. It is not a policy of UPND. It is not as a result of that. It is with the grace of God that has given us that water,” Sichinga fired back. He argued that attributing economic recovery to good rainfall instead of sound policies exposes the government’s failure to manage the agricultural sector effectively.

Sichinga further dismantled Mweetwa’s optimism, questioning how a bumper harvest would translate into a lower cost of living when Zambia’s agricultural sector is plagued by inefficiencies. “Even if you had a bumper harvest, 30% of what is produced goes to waste because you’ve got no storage. How do you expect food prices to drop when most of the crops rot before reaching the market?” he asked.

According to Sichinga, food security is not just about production but also about storage, transportation, and proper distribution channels—all of which the UPND government has failed to address. “This government does not seem to understand that without the necessary infrastructure, increased production means nothing. You cannot eat what is rotting in poor storage facilities,” he lashed out.

Turning his focus to the government’s ambitious agricultural targets for 2027, Sichinga labeled them as a pipe dream. The government has set a target of producing 10 million metric tonnes of maize, 1 million metric tonnes of soya beans, and 1 million metric tonnes of wheat annually, but Sichinga has dismissed these figures as mere fantasy. “Who is going to ensure these targets are met? This government has failed to deliver farming inputs on time under FISP. Now they want us to believe they will magically triple production in three years?” he scoffed.

He criticized Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo’s defense of these targets, calling it empty rhetoric. “Mechanization? Access to credit? Fertilizer and seed support? These are just words. Where is the actual implementation plan? Where is the money to fund this vision? Without details, these promises are just another set of lies meant to deceive the people,” he argued.

Sichinga also took a swipe at the government’s handling of the mining sector, accusing it of surrendering Zambia’s wealth to foreign investors while ordinary citizens bear the economic burden. “Who owns the mining? Who is producing on the Copperbelt and in North-Western Province? Foreign miners. Who will sustain these duties? Who will benefit from them? Certainly not the Zambian people,” he fumed.

He warned that the government’s failure to collect sufficient revenue from the mining sector would have dire consequences. “So, what are you going to replace that duty that would have come to government coffers in order for you to pay for the salaries of the workers? Who is going to be paying for that? You, the ordinary citizen. This is mistaken economics, and I make no apologies,” he charged.

Sichinga was equally brutal in his assessment of the depreciating exchange rate, warning that rising import costs would only worsen the cost of living crisis. “If your oil, which you import, is bought with foreign currency, and the exchange rate continues to deteriorate, what happens? Prices go up. So how does this government expect the cost of living to drop in 2025? These are desperate statements,” he argued.

He reminded Zambians that the Kwacha stood at K17 per dollar under the previous PF government in 2021, but under UPND’s watch, it is heading towards K30. “When that happens, everything you import becomes more expensive—fuel, fertilizer, machinery. So how exactly is this government expecting life to get cheaper? They are lying to the people,” he stated.

Sichinga’s frustrations were further compounded by the government’s failure to address long-term economic sustainability. He warned that once the country’s resources are depleted, there will be nothing left but environmental destruction. “When that emerald… When that cobalt… When that copper goes out, that cast salt goes out, it does not come back. What you are left with is a big hole in the ground. Is that what you want?” he questioned.