Thursday, March 28, 2024

Subsidised fertilizer on Nakonde black market

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AUTHORITIES in Nakonde district in Northern Province have unearthed a scam in which subsidised fertilisers under the Fertiliser Support Programme [FSP] meant for small scale farmers in the area was being sold on the black market.

Nakonde District Commissioner, Edwin Sinyinza, has confirmed the development in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services [ZANIS] in Nakonde today.

Mr Sinyinza said four people have since been arrested in connection with the scam and police have also recovered 5 x 50 kilograms bags of fertilisers so far.

Mr Sinyinza explained that the four men, who include a taxi driver, were intercepted with the stolen bags of fertiliser at Wulongo police check point, about 7 km from Nakonde along the Great North Road.

“I want to confirm to you that authorities in Nakonde district in Northern Province have unearthed a scam in which fertiliser meant for small scale farmers in the district was being sold illegally at the black market,” he said.

He explained that authorities were worried with the increased number of fertilisers being sold on the black market and that it was difficult to discover the source until yesterday when one taxi, which was suspected to be carrying stolen items, was trailed and later stopped at the police check point.

The District Commissioner said authorities were currently trying to establish the number of bags that have been stolen so far from the Mwenzo Food Reserve Agency [FRA] sheds where they are stocked.

Mr Sinyinza has since directed TAZARA police at Mwenzo police post to ensure Mwenzo FRA sheds are put on a 24-hour guard in order to secure the government subsidised fertilisers until the distribution exercise, which kicks off on Monday next week, is completed.

He warned that the Government would deal firmly with whoever will be found to be involved in the fertiliser scam, adding that the Government has spent a lot of money in procuring the same fertiliser meant to benefit the small scale farmers in the border town.

Meanwhile, the Nakonde DC has disclosed that a total of 15,600 bags of fertilisers for both Urea and D-compound have been received in the district for the 2008/2009 farming season.

Mr Sinyinza said the district was also expecting some more bags of D-compound which were scheduled to arrive in the district this weekend.

The district has also received 800 x 10 kilo grams of MRI 744 maize seed and 627 x 10 kilo grams of SEEDCO maize seed for this farming season.

ZANIS/ENDS/JM/EB

23 COMMENTS

  1. Oh yes! Back in UNIP era where terms like black market were widely used! KK and RB welcome back! Next thing we are going to hear that there is sugar, cooking oil and mealie meal selling on the market!

  2. This distribution of Fertilizer is just on Papers, but practically nothing is being done. e.g in North-Western Province, distribution of Fertilizer hasn’t started yet, but these thieves are busy saying we have distributed Fertilizer here and there.

    I would suggest an Independent body to be responsible in the facilitation of this so called FSP. All else, these corrupt leaders will take advantage of the situation

  3. If you’re saying that the distributing process will only be starting next monday, then is this is actually very easy to track. Firstly you have to bring in the man/woman in charge of mwenzo FRA. verifie if they’ve got the right number of bags in there reserves and If no, and if they haven’t reported the missing bags to the police then they must be dismissed. We need action.

  4. Good jobs guys. free market, its your right. you buy it you own it and you can sell it at a profit. blame the Mr dumber who reduced the price below the market value!!!

  5. If fertiliser, which is meant for SS farmers is given to me an Architect by my brother a politican, what am I supposed to do with it? Use it to design or construct houses? use it as mortar in bricks or sprinkle it on paving slabs? isn’t it wise to just sell it off.
    How can fertiliser, which is meant for the 2008/2009 season be in sheds now? Isn’t this supposed to be for the 2009/2010 farming season? I wonder.
    Did the rural folks vote wisely, they should aks themselves?

  6. #3 Ntambu. One thing you did not say is that that independent monitor should check where fertiliser is going starting from rupia banda’s munda (farm). I am pretty sure he has stollen a lot of bags by this time. ITS UNIP TIME MIND YOU.

  7. ..KK’s SHAMBALAKALE STYLE. UKWIBILA ABENA ZAMBIA WHILE THEY HAVE THEIR EYES WIDE OPEN. THEY HAVE NOW CONTRUCTED KA FTJ TO TRAIN THEM IN NATIONAL ECONOMIC PLUNDER IN EXCHANGE FOR UNCONDITIONAL DISMISSING OF PROSECUTIONS.

  8. the price of fertiliser was reduced from k200,000 to k50,000. people did not see the consequences of this. it is the same as the ever sky-rocketting price of mealie meal. this is how it started in zimbabwe. today inflation is running in trillions per centage. the black market as we knew it under unip (RB is unip) will come back where even tissue was bought from cha cha cha market stalls. efyo mwalefwaya bane!

  9. #3 You have spoken well. The distribution of fertilizer is just on paper, true. The same fertilizaer is bein sold at the old price.when these guys are asked,they are saying that the fertilizer meant for selling at 5o pin is not yet in the district.what a shame on the gvnmt.

  10. Iwe # 10 Kasama boy. We are still in 2008 and the planting for rain fed maize, cassava etc will be in OctNovDec08 & jan09 to be harvested in AprilMayJune 2009 so obviously it is 2008/2009 season. Buy a calendar Mbuya.. A you an arctitect i need a design for a house in Lusaka’s Libala South can you help me.. cash on barrier post your email here.

  11. I wonder which small scale farmers are beneficiaries of this fertilizer, im a small scale farmer and many of my colleagues have not seen those bags selling for 50pin. Does any one know where this fertilizer is found??

  12. IT LOOKS LIKE NO ONE HAS LAID HANDS ON THIS FERTILIZER.UNIP IS HOT
    JUST WAITING TO SEE WHAT ELSE.BUT LETS KNOW THAT GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE

  13. The whole shebang is a scam by the MMD scumbags. Away with thieves, the cahnge we want is MC Sata for President & not Nyama Soya a.k.a. Sugar Daddy, Sleeping Beast etc.
    The SS Farmers let me say villagers do not have the money to pay for the FSP let alone for food and other immediate needs. They therefore re-sale this fertilizer for 100k per bag to their rich town relatives. If the FSP was working, we would have seen some financial improvement in some rural households by this time. But nix

  14. that is waht happens all the seasons………..NO BENEFIT AT ALL…..THIS IS WHY SUBSIDIES ARE NO GUD…. JUST LOCK PIPO IN THE SYSTEM THRU THE COOPERATIVES AND MONITOR AND VERIFY THAT THE PIPO REGISTERED WITH THE COOP HAVE LAND ,WHAT HA, AND CONFIRM WITH THE CHIEFS FOR HISTORY OF THOSE PERSONS………BUILD CAPACITIES AND LEND THEM INITIALLY TO KICK START THE WHOLE THING THEN CASH UPFORNT NEXT SEASON

  15. USUALLY ITS THE SAME gvt pipo who benefit from these subsidies…… the farmers get eithr one pocket or nothing…..

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