Some irate farmers from Luageni Constituency in Chipata today stormed the District Commissioner’s office to complain over delayed payments for the maize they supplied to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
The farmers complained that the delay by the FRA to pay them their money has greatly affected them in terms of planning as they are not able to pay co-operatives for the 2014-2015 farming inputs.
Farmers’ representative Jacob Shumba noted that despite supplying the maize to the FRA the agency has failed to pay them in good time, a situation which he said will affect their farming preparations.
Mr Shumba said despite assurances by government that they will be paid within two weeks of supplying their produce to the FRA, the agency has not done so.
He expressed fears that the co-operatives in his area had already started distributing farming inputs therefore causing more panic among farmers to get their money.
But Chipata District Commissioner Kalunga Zulu disclosed that government had released K1, 550,000 million to clear all the balances that the FRA owes farmers in the district and that payments would start today.
Mr Zulu assured the farmers in the district that the FRA will settle all the outstanding balances it was owing them.
He said farmers would start receiving their money based on the first-in-first-out payment system.
Mr Zulu added that government was still committed to ensuring that farmers are paid within two weeks of supplying their produce to the FRA.
He acknowledged that government had delayed a bit but urged the farmers not to be discouraged as his office was doing everything possible to improve the payment mode.
lies are catch up with PF again,,,,, someone from PF recently stated that all farmers in the country were paid!!!
PF style, spend development money on campaigns and then promise people development, when they clearly know that the money is spent. After elections electorates are poorer.
Rural Zambian People never learn a thing about PF’s tricks. PF is interested in the people giving them power and licence to loot tax payers ‘ coffers.
My advice to the DC is next time, run away as the will kill you because PF will fail to pay farmers for the next 3 months.
PF is paying farmers in Muchinga , Luapula and Northern first before the rest.
Across the country the situation is the same.I wonder how we treat farmers like this.Its unfortunate that when you have no serious farmer in government and most of the leaders are copper belt jerabos then you expect the best from them.
Farmers are always cheated and they manipulate them as they are vulnerable.
In Muchinga ,every farmer has been paid.Stop complaing