Lack of deposit slips at National Savings and Credit Bank (NATSAVE) in Chama is reported to have delayed the distribution of farming inputs to farmers in the district.
District Agricultural Coordinator, James Ngalamila, disclosed the development in an interview with ZANIS in Chipata.
Mr Ngalamila said the district received inputs in good time but his office could not distribute to farmers because they had not yet deposited the moneys in the bank.
“As far as we are concerned, we are ready with the distribution exercise as everything is in place. The only problem is that there are no deposit slips at NATSAVE for cooperatives to deposit their money,’’ he said.
Mr Ngalamila noted that the delay in distributing the inputs would result in serious challenges in transportation because most roads would be impassable during the rainy season.
He said most transporters would refuse to use longer routes that pass through Isoka and Chinsali in the Northern Province to deliver fertilizers and seed to chiefs Lundu, Chibale ,and in Chilubanama area.
“If we started the exercise this time, we could have used shorter routes but I am afraid, the delay will mean that we are going to use longer routes,’’ Mr Ngalamila noted.
Meanwhile, Mr Ngalamila has bemoaned the indiscriminate cutting of trees in chief Chibale’s area.
He said fertile soils were being affected by the careless cutting of trees, alleging that, people with traditional authority were allowing foreigners from a neighbouring country to be cutting Mukwa trees which they transported outside the country.
Mr Ngalamila said the district only had one forestry officer who did not have transport, adding that, at times, he was just helped by state police to make patrols.
[ZANIS]
This is madness!! in this day and age using deposit slips!!! Damn, there is technology!!
We all know that Chama is remote but you cant delay because of deposit slips. And what type of financial institutions do we have which cant even manage stationery?
Use other means there are a lot financial institutions you can use. Zanaco is every where how can you stick to a bank that is giving you problems? Useless
How can a thing so simple as a deposit slip , affect such an important , time critical period for farming in that region ? Surely NATSAVE could find a way around this very simple problem until these slips arrive from Lusaka or wherever they are coming from.
And are these ‘inputs’ meant to be sold to the co- ops? Or Distributed?…
Once again help on the workings of co-ops would be greatly appreciated from anyone out there.