Irate farmers give FRA one week ultimatum to pay them for the maize supplied

Some farmers who have not yet been paid their money by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in Kalomo have given government a one week ultimatum to settle their dues or take the law into their hands if their demand is not met.

The farmers also demanded that their money which is being held in various commercial banks be paid with the current ruling bank interest rates claiming their money has attracted some interest. This action follows the delayed payment of their dues for the maize they supplied to FRA last year.

Some farmers stormed ZANIS today to air their grievances while others trekked to the local police station to ask what wrong they have committed for them to be subjected to what they termed miserable experience leading to hard lives due to delayed payment of their money.

The farmers are also threatening to collect the remaining maize that is still stacked in the outlying satellite depots and resale it to other millers to raise money for their families.

The farmers said out of the 21 FRA maize buying satellite depots which included those from Sikanga, Katundulu, Bbilili and Kalemu sheds to which maize was supplied to, no payments have been made due to the ongoing investigations for suspected fraudulent practices by some buyers in certain satellite depots while some are already in courts, leading to further delay in payments.

They claimed that investigation in the matter were taking too long while other suspects whose property were impounded were seen moving scot free and have even started buying maize from unsuspecting poor farmers.
The unhappy farmers have since urged government to speed up the investigations. Charles Munsanka who is one of theaffected farmers said he has not been paid his money for the maize sold to FRA last year.

‘You see, it is really annoying, I sold my maize in August last year and up to now I have not been paid, it’s like government is neglecting us, even on the cotton price it is still quite. Now that there is an outbreak of lumpy skin disease and corridor, our animals are dying mercilessly because we don’t have money to buy drugs and our children are failing to go to school,” complained Charles Munsanka.

However, Kalomo District Commissioner, Omar Munsanje has constantly told farmers who relentlessly visit his office of the late payment assuring them that their money is available only that government was cleaning the mess so that what happened do not repeat itself for the benefit of the genuine farming community.

In another development, the farming community in Mabombo area are up in arms with cotton ginners for buying the crop at K1,600 per kilo gramme, a move which they said was exploitative and discouraging farmers to engage in cotton growing as it was becoming grossly unprofitable.

Speaking on behalf of other farmers, Mabombo cotton growers group Chairperson, Edwell Kaale of chief Chikanta’s area said the negotiating team’s delay to come to an agreeable price from that of the proposed K3,200 per kilo gramme had a negative effect on cotton growers.

He said some ginning companies like Dunavant, Alliance and Continental agents have already invaded his area getting the cotton at the low cost of K1,600 per kilo gramme as farmers have no other means of revenue coupled with the fact that some have not yet been paid their money by FRA.

ZANIS