Agriculture Minister Robert Sichinga has assured farmers who have supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency that all their payments will be cleared by the end of October 2013.
Mr Sichinga told parliament in a ministerial statement today that the FRA has so far paid out K11 million representing 20%, with a balance of K418.242 million representing 80 percent awaiting funding, for THE 407,113 metric tons of maize purchased as at 18th September 2013.
Mr Sichinga says the total value of purchased maize stands at K529.25 million.
He also acknowledged that government has exceeded its 14-days deadline within which to pay farmers after delivery of their produce.
Mr Sichinga says government is aware that delay in paying farmers is a legitimate concern, the reason why it is working tirelessly to ensure the continued flow of funding towards the payment of farmers.
And Mr Sichinga says the ministry of Agriculture will use the current Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) system for the distribution of inputs to farmers for the 2013/2014 farming season.
He says this will be done in order to avoid threatening the country’s food security.
Mr Sichinga says the 2013/2014 season will be used as a transitional phase when preparations for the implementation of the E-Voucher will be completed.
Mike is full of lies ,pay the farmers,how who do you fill if its you bin delayed Bob????????
Sorry I meant Govt z full of lies….
I don’t know why many farmers still sell their maize to FRA. Many of them may not be paid for up to a year. A promise like the one being given now is mere rhetoric.
This is total failure on PF to honour what they said they would do when in power. With budget deficit in place katwishi if the those farmers will have their money. Elyo abantu bena balibebele, Bati iyo… Pabwato…Aleni nomba ubwato ubo twamipa
Those arrears will be cleared faster if Kabimba is fired tomorrow.
FRA is a sorry story! This Gvnt, pipo had faith in it but now it is the worst!
Mr Sichinga,october??? And where do farmers find the money for inputs?
But abena kazonga bali abaume.Bob is a theorititian/rhetorics
Ulabeja! K11m out of K429m is not 20%, but 2% – only????????? Meanwhile, the contributions to the clubs, whatever they are, to enable farmers receive the inputs, closes at the end of September, next week. So where do the farmers get the money to pay up if they will only be paid in October, even if 1st October? Another missmatch!
What a bunch of clowns this government is! Clearly the Coffers are empty and then Country is heading for the Kaunda Years once more!
Maize marketing is a tricky one. FRA buys from Farmers closer to their homes and do not encurr much in transportation costs. Thus, selling at K65 is more profitable than taking to the Millers who will buy at K55 minus K15 for transportation leaves a farmer at K40 per bag when the cost of producing the same bag of maize is around K38 to K42. I only wish Govt could also support emerging farmers to access cheaper farming inputs. this year maize stocks are low and come November -December we shall be buying a 25kg bag of mealie meal at K250. then smuggling to Congo will be a lucrative business.
“Mr Sichinga told parliament in a ministerial statement today that the FRA has so far paid out K11 million representing 20%, with a balance of K418.242 million representing 80 percent awaiting funding”
Bob (Mr. Three Trillion), what is is with you, math, and the Kwacha?
K11 million paid + K418.242 million still outstanding = K 429.242 million total owed.
Thus….. K 11 million / K 429.242 million = 2.56% of the total paid already, NOT 20%!
Or, if we take Bob’s other figure, of K 529.25 million total maize purchases, the K 11 million paid = 2.07% only.
Eish, and this was in a statement to Parliament….!!!
(…..and apparently none of the Parliamentarians even picked up on this? How much are we paying for this “work”?)
The PF govt is not seriours. How can u hold pipo’s money just that? That’s stealing.