Chongwe Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo yesterday accused companies contracted by government to supply fertilizer under the Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) of sabotage when they ordering their depots to close.
Mrs. Masebo said suspending fertilizer distribution when the country was experiencing soaring food prices was sabotaging government.
She said the companies already knew that government would always pay the debts owed to them and therefore, there was no need to suspend the distribution of farming inputs under the FSP.
Mrs. Masebo was speaking in Chongwe district yesterday at the official launch of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme in the agriculture sector.
She said it was sad for companies to suspend fertilizer and other agricultural inputs at the time farmers were preparing the current farming season.
Mrs. Masebo said it was unprofessional for companies contracted by government to supply fertilizer under the FSP to farmers to suspend fertilizer distribution when the companies knew that government can never fail to pay debts owed to them.
She said the move to close fertilizer depots was aimed at frustrating government efforts of promoting food security in the country.
She further urged government to revamp the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) with a view to ensuring stead supply of fertilizer in the country.
Mrs. Masebo said the move to revamp NCZ would also play an effective role of enhancing the growth of the agriculture sector in the country.
On Wednesday, Omnia Zambia suspended the distribution of fertilizer because government owed the company a total of US$11 million.
Meanwhile, Omnia Zambia Limited in Mazabuka says it has enough stocks of seed and fertiliser to cater for the over 7,000 small scale farmers under the government sponsored Fertiliser Support Programme (FSP)
Mazabuka area manager, Peter Kalwani said no single farmer will be left out because the available inputs were enough.
Mr. Kalwani explained that so far, over 60 per cent of the inputs have already been distributed to the beneficiaries in various satellite depots.
And Mr. Kalwani has asked Mazabuka District Agriculture Coordinator, Hastins Nyambe to inform farmers to go back to Omnia sheds and collect inputs following the lifting of the temporal suspension of the FSP input distribution last Wednesday.
He said the slow pace of collections is worrying and he has since appealed to the farmers to visit his offices immediately.
He explained that both his company and government have resolved the problem that led to the closure of the depot.
On Wednesday, hundreds of farmers were stranded in Mazabuka town following the suspension of the FSP by Omnia, which argued that government had not paid it for the services rendered.
ZANIS/HC/KSH/ENDS
ZANIS/TK/KSH/ENDS
one oooo
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no 2. she is a paranoid prick. does she expect the companies to run on her urine if they are no paid by govt. just shows wat kind of minds we got as leaders.
she shud try running a company with out liquidity and see if she will call it sabotage.
Masebo concentrate on the wrong doer-GOVERNMENT NOT PAYING. How do you expect a bussiness to run on promises. Will it be OK if the business tells its workers that they should work and will be paid sometime in future when governemnt pays for the fertilizer !! Crazy leaders !
Masebo get GOVERNMENT to pay for what it buys, period !
i think this woman needs a medical examination…she was a cabinet minister until recently and now is when she is urging gvt to reopen NCZ. it shows that once up there, u don’t feel the pinch we the people down here feel…welcome to reality!!!as for her comments,the Honourable Mp shud first check the meaning of the word sabotage and its implications in the Zambian legal system before attacking companies engaged to distribute farming inputs…moreover, as a backbencher, she shud be urging gvt to recaptalise NCZ or pay its debts on time instead of attacking private companies whose sole interest is profit..mind u it’s a private sector led economy, either u pay or u don’t recieve the goods…
# 2…
i don’t think it’s paranoia….since she collapsed during LPM’s funeral, doctors missed putting together a few parts for her to fully recover, especially the memory component of her brain…thats y she easily forgets that she had a very big opportunity as one of the few women to serve in gvt as a cabinet minister to lobby for recapitalistion of NCZ….imagine how easy it wud have been to do away with PRIVATE companies sabotaging gvt’s efforts if NCZ was operational…..
no.6 u have hammered the nail on the head. well put. these pipo take their electorate for a big ride.
This is as a result of subortage by the West who made sure that our indegenous maize seed which was able to do without fertiliser was wiped out. That seed was so good that with little moisture and in not very rich soils we were always asured of some harvest. The move was done to create market for the exotic maize seed which is always corted with chemicals and can never be recycled, and also market for their fertiliser. Our fertile soil is now a thing of the past, destroyed by chemicals namely fertiliser, chicken manure and cow dung cant improve it. Now we buy seed and ferliser every year.
I understand it is disasterous on the farmers, but we must take care of the root cause Masebo. Who would go on rendering services without being paid??? Try it with your private company (if you have any).
Ba Masebo; u are there? U have been to quiet lady. Y? I believe u must be missing terrorising street vendors and marketeers. Thats how life goes dear. Email me for a quicky.!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Zambian business way get the service and pay not,Look at Zamtel in a mess.
But Maswebo is an interesting character. If Zambia borrowed that much money then there is money to these guys and let us move on. Its not a charity case its business. Pay the debts and let people farm. Our leaders never learn and they will be wondering why meal meal will be K100,000 nest year this time. Masebo should try and say no to their bonus and to the job for free then see how it feels. Dont point finger far point at yourselves. MASEBO you trying to make noise SHUT UP. SHUT UP.
Masebo nawonda, lost so much weight. Ninhsi ilecitika. Is it age catching up or something else????
hellö mwechalo……its nyama soya here. Masebo is losing weight coz I fired her as minister. She is woried and has no money from markets now. Ask her how hard she is trying to bounce back. So let her speak for me but will not appoint her . finish….nyama soya.
WHEN I SAW THE TITLE AND BEFORE I LOGGED ON I THOUGHT I WILL WRITE THE HELL ABOUT THIS WOMAN.
WELL TO PUT IT RIGHT, YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB TO REMIND THIS LADY THAT;
1) SHE HAD A CHANCE TO SEE NCZ WORK WHEN IN CABINET, BUT SHE NEVER DID. SO THIS TIME SHE IS TALKING SO SHE CAN GET A JOB IN CABINET.
2) MOST OF US HAVE PREPAID PHONE AND SOON WE WILL HAVE PREPAID WATER AND ELECTRICITY METERS AND SUCH WE KNOW HOW TO PLAN OUR CONSUMPTION AND ARE USED TO PAY BEFORE ENJOYING. NOW WITH HER POST PAID PHONES, SHE THINKS IT SHOULD BE THE SAME FOR FERTILIZER. FERTILIZER COMPANIES ARE NOT RUNNING CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS MADAM MASEBO. NO, THEY ARE IN BUSINESS.
[-( learn to pay your nkongole. omnia needs tong to settle it’s own expenses. for a learned person like you ba masebo, your statement was very dull.
#17 [-(
Good Job Omnia tell all the Govt fellas. These “anyandule” in a free market economy which they preach, you pay for the goods and services before delivery