Government says it will this week pay all outstanding balances to all farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) countrywide.
Minister of Agriculture Wylbur Simuusa said the government was working hard to ensure that all farmers, who have not yet received their money, were paid before the end of the week.
Mr. Simuusa disclosed this development to ZANIS in a telephone interview in Lusaka today.
The minister said FRA has already paid about 80 percent of farmers countrywide.
Mr. Simuusa said the remaining 20 percent farmers, who are from Northern, Eastern and Southern provinces, will be cleared this week.
The minister has since urged farmers in the country not to panic but to remain calm as government has already secured funds to pay them.
He however did not disclose how much money government still owed farmers.
Meanwhile, Farmers in Mbala today besieged the office of the District Commissioner to complain over the non-payment for their maize sold to the FRA.
The farmers who have vowed not go back until they are paid complained that they were running out of patience as they have no means to procure the agricultural inputs this farming season.
But Mbala District Commissioner, Best Kabulembe pleaded with the uncompromising farmers to remain calm as government was doing everything possible to release money to pay the remaining farmers by Wednesday this week.
Mr. Kabulembe said government through Agriculture and Livestock Permanent Secretary, Dr. David Shamulenge has assured that all the farmers country wide will be paid before the end of this month.
He disclosed that government has so far released K34 million to pay all the farmers in Mbala who sold their produce to FRA in August last year.
The District Commissioner has also appealed to the Food Reserve Agency to expedite the release of funds to all Commercial Banks in the district so that farmers could start receiving their money.
The district being the highest producer of maize in the country for four consecutive farming seasons had a backlog of over K73 millions of which only K39 million has so far been paid out to farmers.
By broadcast time farmers were still gathered at the DC’s office demanding to be paid their money or given back their maize.
iwe simuusa,,,, which week?? be specific,,,, we have heard alot of this week“ before and nothing happened
Governance is not simply saying I will do this I can do that
Vintu ni vintu ngati ni plakatisi
Viva pawato!
HH is coming to sought out this mess next week.
HH2015!
Time to knock out this Paya Farmer govt. this is truly unacceptable 2014/2015 planting season has come to an end.s***t govt you’re lowering food security in the nation. you’re claiming that you put hammer meals in areas of maize production this total no sense what are going to grind if you can’t produce???
Only in an election year. You are still losing. You cannot fool us.
Nothing gets money moving like a pending date with voters… I would say it’s probably safest not to count on their votes…
Too little too late.
Paya Farmer its best!!!
What more in a non-election day?
Simuusa should resign on moral grounds. The level of his failure is inexcusable. Now on the eve of an election he wants to appear like he and the rest of the PF have always had this issue as a priority. PLEASE PEOPLE REMEMBER OUR FARMERS.
SAVE OUR FARMERS VOTE HH! !!!!
No farmer has been paid in January, Congratulations PF, you have killed the farmer. FRA is one entity the government should re-visit as it takes huge amounts of money away from Education, Health etc. When is FRA going to pay the transporter, the thousands of Landlords for all the storage facilities and much more? Time to do the wise thing & change of FRA policy.
mr simuusa your ministry decampaighned pf wonderfully.upnd found it easy to win because of this . thank you very much every farmer is againest paya farmer in total. telling lies every week even if you manage to pay some farmers its too late the damage is very big. money from boko harram will not serve you at all its flight hh 2015 chabe kwamana chapwa kufelile kwasila
It’s just so amazing how PF intelligentsia can hypothesise PF popularity based on the noise being made by the Lumpen Proletariat in the urban dwellings.You don’t have to be a student of PL 110 to know that the rural folks of Zambia have the last say on who goes to Plot 1.PF have screwed farmers to the extent that my Aunt from Mpika who had reaped 200 bags of maize now has to rely on money transfers from my salary for her subsistence and to buy farming inputs for this farming season.Imagine now the millions who don’t have nephews in town to help them..its back to abject poverty.So like in 2008 when RB overhauled Psycho Mata by convincingly winning the rural vote, the same will happen this year and HH will prevail in rural Zambia because of the reckless governance of the PF.
Sorry PF and Simuusa. It is time for you to go before you cause unrepairable damage to the agricultural sector.
THIS IS ONE STORY THAT NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR. WHY DO WE DELAY TO PAY FARMERS. THE PF GOVERNMENT HAS NO EXCUSE. YOU SAVED MONEY BY REMOVING SUBSIDIES. PLEASE PAY FRMERS ON TIME. THIS IS TOO LATE. ALA. KANSHI CHABA SHANI MWE BANTU IMWE. I THINK IN 2016 WE SHOULD VOTE PF OUT OF POWER.
Incompetence at its peak. PF, you have through failure to pay Farmers campaigned for UPND. Start packing your bags as you are leaving GRZ houses next week.