Farmers protest over non-payment of their maize

Farmers in Mansa district have protested over the non-payment of their maize sold to the Food Reserve Agency-FRA.

The Farmers who stormed ZANIS offices in Mansa this morning are demanding to be paid their dues saying they have suffered enough in the process of selling the maize.

The farmers have also demanded to be given back their maize if FRA has failed to pay them adding that it is better to sale the commodity to briefcase businessmen.

Some of the farmers displayed notices from schools sending away their children for nonpayment of school fees .

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Chanda Macha said the farmers in Mansa district will not rest until they are paid their money

Mr Macha says it is worrying that even when the Minister of Agriculture and Live stock Emmanuel Chenda last week flagged off the 2012/2013 distribution of farming inputs there is no indication as to where they will find the money to pay for this coming farming season.

Meanwhile Mansa District Commissioner Mirriam Kauseni has assured the farmers that Government through FRA will intensify the payment of farmers this week.

Mrs Kauseni however disclosed that FRA has so far bought over 450, 000 x 50 kg bags of maize from farmers in Mansa district this marketing season against a target of 600,000 x 50kg bags.

The farmers in this area come from Malamba, Chimese, Mwanguni and Kashimba satellite deport

Meanwhile Irate farmers in Mpulungu have given government up to Wednesday this week to be paid their money for maize supplied to the Food Reserve Agency-FRA.

The farmers who stormed the office of the district commissioners office have warned that they will lock up the offices of the DC and the Agriculture Co-ordinator if the FRA fails to pay them their dues by Wednesday.

The farmers stormed the DCs offices today, demanding her intervention over the payments for their maize lamenting that they had gone through untold suffering.

Group spokespersons Patrick Sikasote and Eva Naulapwa said they supplied their maize to FRA on 3rd August, 2012, but have not been paid their money despite being promised to be paid within of supply.

They explained that the farmers borrowed money to enable them transport the maize to the satellite depots.

‘We have incurred huge costs in travelling from our areas to the township because of the promisory notes from FRA. There is also the costs in food and lodging here as we wait for the money which is not forthcoming,’’ lamented Ms Naupalwa.

Most of the farmers complained that they had lost household property like TVs, beds and mattresses, sofas among others to the people they borrowed money from due to the elapsed period of paying back.

The farmers, mostly from Chtimbwa, Vyamba, Chinakila, Kopeka and Mpulungu wondered how they were going to buy fertilizer and other agro – inputs in time if they could not be paid their money now when the rain season was just around the corner.

But when reached for comment today, both district commissioner Juliana Chuzu and District agriculture coordinator Kennedy Sinkamba said the information they had was that the money would be paid within two weeks.

Mr. Sinkamba added that from the 1,300 farmers who supplied maize to FRA, only 130 were paid on 22 August, 2012.
He said the department of agriculture was equally worried by the delay because it was defeating the concept of food security at the household level as farmers were forced to sell their reserves to survive.