Friday, March 29, 2024

Government’s budget for maize purchase exhausted, FRA asked to borrow money to pay farmers

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Agriculture minister Emmanuel Chenda
Agriculture minister Emmanuel Chenda

Agriculture Minister Emmanuel Chenda has said that government has exhausted the K300 billion budgetary allocation for the crop marketing exercise. Mr. Chenda said that this is because the Food Reserve Agency-FRA has bought maize beyond the budgeted funds.

The Minister was speaking in an interview with ZNBC news in Lusaka on yesterday. He explained that government has authorized the FRA to borrow money for buying maize from farmers.

Mr. Chenda said that he was hopeful that all the farmers will be paid by the end of next month. He said that government was doing everything possible to ensure that it does not carry forward arrears into next year.

Meanwhile, Vice President Guy Scot has said that Government is determined to make Zambia the food basket for the Southern African region.

Dr. Scott said that the agriculture sector has the potential to significantly contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product-GDP.

He says that is why more investment is been channeled to the sector to establish more livestock disease control centers and revamping state ranches.

The Vice President was speaking on Tuesday during the 63rd Session of the Executive Committee of the African-Asian Rural Development Organisation-AARDO in Lusaka.

Dr Scot says this in a speech read for him by Deputy Minister in the Vice President’s Office Harry Kalaba.

And Youth and Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili says in a speech ready for him by his Deputy Nathaniel Mubukwanu that Zambia is proud to host the AARDO regional office.

And AARDO President Ambassador Ahmed Kheir says his organisation considers tackling rural poverty as a priority.

13 COMMENTS

  1. Ok I hear two things from both camps on this one.

    One Camp is Screaming Ba Chimbwi with No Plan (CNP)

    The Other camp is screaming is is MMD budget we were using. MMD under budgeted

    I guess this MMD driven bumper harvest is killing this Government.

    Anyway my take is that there is always room for discretionary spending and Govt of the day is always allowed to go back to the house & request for that.  As early as June, this govt should have seen that MMD policies were still working and hard delivered another bumper harvest and they could have done the adjustment to budget than have to wait now and put our Hard working farmers through this.

    Instead they used vital cash to create Districts. I think I go with the crowd screaming CNP on this one. 

  2. Its normal to under budget. But why not get some of the euro-bond, instead of getting money from commercial lenders?

  3. In the 2009 budget, a total of K110 billion was allocated for the maize marketing exercise with a purchase target of 100,000 metric tonnes.
    This attracted a loud outcry from farmers and other stakeholders who argued that the allocation was too low.
    In a bid to meet the farmers’ demands for a higher allocation, government gave a go ahead to FRA to borrow additional funding from commercial banks to reduce the funding gap, and the agency is set to access an additional K271 billion for the exercise. (info from the post)
    It seems these guys are always blowing the budget

  4. CNP indeed. The MMD worked hard so that we are still enjoying bumper harvest in years continually but these Poor Fools want to make people think MMD did nothing. We have seen what MMD has done and no one will change it. MMD have good policies than any other govt or party. The economy of Zambia has grown during the MMD reign, let us not pretend, we are just killing ourselves with these kaponyas in power.

  5. so i will only be paid 65m for my 1000 bags by next month? when am i going to prepare for this farming season? CNP government, you should have allowed us to export our maize than selling to your Fool Reservoir of Amafi (FRA) where are you taking this country to?

  6. This issue of saying the budget has been deplited pains me more than anything. Why cant Gvt & FRA put up the milling companies at least in all provincial centres first and start milling the maize they get from farmers and sale back to the community then use the monies for paying farmers instead of waiting for loans/gvt budget. This will also create the so called Jobs for the unemployed youths in various parts of Zambia. Just remove the greedy part because some gvt officials are in the same milling business and if anything this will help gvt to control the prices for mealie meal instead instructing millers to reduce prices.

  7. We have told you time and again use the services of Prof Malambo the man knew what he was doing no farmer complain and we were all paid on time. Look for this pforffessor and make use of him.

  8. This is people’s life that we are talking about here and you are saying there is no money and yet you can quickly find money to fund commissions of Inquiry, Judge Chikopa, needless bye- election in Chongwe, rebasing of the valuless Kwacha, big entourages for meetings abroad, endless projects in Muchinga, 100% salary increments for yourselves etc. Isn’t this failure on your part as govt if you cannot provide basic needs for your citizens coz its from this money that farmers secure more food, carter for education and health and improve their general welfare. These are the people you promised more money in their pockets, act the talk, come 2016 no more such lies.

  9. We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with valuable information to work on. You have done a formidable job and our whole community will be grateful to you.|

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