SEVEN Mpulungu transporters are are demanding payment from the ministry of agriculture and cooperatives (MACO), after they transported fertilizers under the fertilizer support program (FSP)in Mpulungu district last November.
In an interview today, group spokesperson Kelly Syabeene said government owed them over K80 million after they transported about 325 metric tones of both D. compound and Urea fertilizers to farmers in different farming blocs in Mpulungu.
Mr Syabeene explained that the original agreement in the contract was for government to pay them after 30 days of completing the ferrying of the fertilizer, adding however that they have not received their money from the time they completed the works, last December.
He said the transporters have been pushing for the payment since December but officials at MACO Mpulungu have only been telling them that they have not received any funding to pay the transporters.
” This has put some of us in a very bad situation especially some of our colleagues who borrowed money from the local ruthless money lenders to buy fuels for their trucks to transport the fertilizers……..they are in deep problems because they are pestered to pay back the debt, ” Syabeene observed.
He said the transporters sacrificed and spent millions of kwacha in fuels and other expenses because they were promised to be paid at the end of exercise, which has not been the case.
Syabeene said more fertilizers had been supplied by Nyiombo investment for this farming season and is in storage sheds awaiting transportation to the farmers.
‘’ Now we don’t know how we are going to transport these fertilizers to farmers on the plateau this time around especially that we haven’t been paid monies for the work we did for agriculture in the last consignment eight moths ago,’’ Syabeene wondered.
He appealed to government through the ministry of agriculture and cooperatives to settle the K80 000 000 million debt.
Efforts to get a comment from district agriculture coordinator Boniface Mwalongo proved futile by press time.
The transporters who are demanding payment are Judith Silupya, Humphrey Sichilima, Lewis Mwambazi, Jackson Simuyemba, Stanley Sichilima, Stanley Sikazwe and Kelly Syabeene.
Meanwhile Syabeene has appealed to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to buy more maize from farmers on satellite depots on the plateau area of Mpulungu.
He said it was disappointing to note that FRA are only buying about 4000 x 50 kilograms bags of maize from some areas where farmers have cultivated more than 10 000 x 50 kilograms bags.
Syabeene stated that FRA must ensure that they buy every grain on the market because farmers risk selling their produce to bogus buyers who have flooded the market.
He said if allowed, this will be a disadvantage and a great loss on the part of the farmers.
ZANIS
Ya give them their dough
Imwe give them the money as per contract !
why do we still get stories like these? will zambia ever come right?
Misplaced priorities !
This Governement doesn’t care about its own poor people,8 months failing to pay transporters their money, failing to buy maize from farmers, stealing votes in times of election,beating people now etc.Will this governement ever learn?
Chachine, get your dues bane… there is no work without pay unless you are volunteers!!!
Poor transporters. Those GRZ officials in Mpulungu are sitting on the money. The reason they are delaying in making payments is coz you might not have given them a cut.
This is a situation that should be taken seriously. Zambia’s economy can grow if they concentrated on agriculture ….unfortunately reports like this do not encourage the local people to start farming. If the farmers are producing food make it easier and affordable for them to produce more. All it takes is haveing a strict accountable, efficient and effective management system. Zambia needs agriculture as the backbone of the economy it can bring loads of revenue to the economy and it is extremely sad to hear local people trying to make it a way of living to make Zambia develop not being paid.