Kasama farmers threaten to manhundle PS

Over 1000 farmers in Kasama yesterday ran amok and threatened to beat up Acting Permanent Secretary for Northern Province Gabriel Kaunda whom they alleged to have failed to convince his counterpart in the ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to release the additional fertilizer for Northern Province.

The Irate farmers who gathered at the office of the Permanent Secretary refused to disperse saying they needed an explanation from Mr Kaunda on why the farm input has not been released.

And group spokesperson Joseph Mwamba told ZANIS that farmers have run out of patience because the Ministry of Agriculture has failed to issue an official statement over government’s position on fertilizer.

Mr. Mwamba said the application period for compound ‘D’ fertilizer has elapsed and wondered why government was delaying in distributing the fertiliser.

He further explained that some farmers had already deposited their money for subsidized inputs into Nyiombo Investments Account with great hope that they were going to get the farm input in time.

Mr. Mwamba lamented that farmers in Northern Province were not ready to receive relief food from Government when they have the capacity and energy to cultivate and source for their own food this season.

And Mr. Kaunda disclosed that his office has tried its level best to liase with his colleagues in the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives but no promising answer has been given so far.

Mr. Kaunda said last week on Friday he wrote a letter to his counterpart and gave the ministry up to Tuesday 8th January, 2008 to issue an official statement over the matter.

The Acting PS however pleaded with the farmers to be patient and give his office up to Wednesday this week.

The confusion which attracted security officers from the Zambia Army and Zambia Police rushed to the Provincial Administration to calm the irate farmers and maintain peace for fear that Government Vehicles including the ministerial Vehicle might be vandalized.

Meanwhile, Black marketeers in Kasama are reported to be repacking and mixing compound D fertilizer with sand.

This came to light when one of the farmers who bought compound D fertilizer from Tazara market discovered that half of the bag was packed with sand and while the top contained real compound D fertilizer.

Mr. Katale Chilufya a peasant farmer of Mulobola Village was found at the market demanding for a refund from a named businessman who refused to pay him back his money.

He said it has become a tendency by many black marketeers who are buying the commodity from Nyiombo Investment at a cost of K150, 000 per bag of fertilizer to repack and mix it with sand to reap more profit.

Mr.Chilufya told ZANIS today that he bought five 50kg bags of compound D and two 50kg bags of Urea from the same person saying when he went to the maize field, he discovered that half of the bag was containing sand.

He has since appealed to the department of Agriculture and cooperatives to be patrolling the market places where fertilizer is being sold and arrest the unscrupulous dealers.

However, prices of fertilizer in Kasama have gone up as a 50 kg bag of both Compound D and Urea, which were selling at K158, 000, is now costing K185, 000 at the black market.

A check conducted by ZANIS today at Tazara, Chambeshi, and Chikumanino markets revealed that the traders have added K23, 000 to the previous price.

In some cases a 50kg bag of fertilizer which was selling K138,000 and K158,000 respectively has gone up by K20,000 and K25,000 due to the scarcity and high demand of the commodity.