The Zambia National Farmers Union says the Food Reserve Agency Executive Director’s insistency on maintaining the K60 maize market price clearly demonstrates how farmers are being swindled in the worst conceivable way, by a Government institution.
ZNFU President Jervis Zimba said the FRA is pegging the price of maize at below the cost of production when it is supposed to balance the prices, both for mealie meal and maize production.
“We will borrow a saying, which states that; “This is totally exploitation of man by man.” We are warning farmers that have supplied maize to FRA that they have done so at owner’s risk, as the Agency this year has been classified as a briefcase buyer. FRA is not actually buying maize, but swindling farmers,” Mr Zimba said.
“All those farmers that have supplied maize to FRA are actually being swindled as the Agency is not even paying cash for the maize. We are aware that some farmers will be deceived with few early payments, but farmers will only get paid after four or five months. Therefore, FRA must not say they have started buying maize from farmers, when in actual sense they have started swindling farmers by paying them below production cost.”
“Since when did FRA start buying maize for making a profit at the expense of the primary producer? Why did FRA not allow market forces to be at play when mealie meal prices were high? We are aware that FRA intervened. We feel the pain as farmers outside the FISP bracket who grew the 2.2 million metric tonnes of maize using own cash,” he said.
Mr. Zimba added, “We as a Union feel the pain of the people who borrowed money to finance the production of this maize. We feel the pain for those farmers who will fail to pay for the tractors and farm equipment loans. We also feel the pain for farmers who got fertilisers on credit from agro dealer companies, who will be unable to pay back these loans.”
He has since appealing to the banks to exercise patience during what he called trying moment.
“We are also appealing to farmers to find the best possible ways of storing this maize and NOT SELL a single grain to FRA and only start marketing our maize from November 2017 through to July 2018, when we project maize prices to become better. Farmers have responded positively to the Head of State’s call that he wants to run an agro-based economy. Therefore, farmers have been patriotic and responded to the call to feed the nation, but should not be taken for granted.”
He warned, “History is about to repeat itself. Current developments are reminiscent of the 1990s when farmers stopped growing maize. We do hear that the Minister of Agriculture was out of the country at the time the letter was written, but again has travelled. We are now waiting for a response from the Acting Minister as our letter still stands and Government has the responsibility to hear the farmers’ cry.”
“If nothing comes out of this maize market mess, we will have no choice but to declassify maize as a risky business, since we believe farming is a business. Therefore, the ball is in the court of the Agriculture Minister. We appeal to the Acting Minister to meet us,” he stated.
He said both FRA and the Permanent Secretary Mr. Julius Shawa should have a humane face over this issue.
“The public should know that even at K85 per 50 kg bag paid to the farmer last year, this translates into a farmer living on K300 per month. So, at K60 for a 50kg bag, the farmer will be living in abject poverty.”
Mr. Zimba added, “We are alive to market forces, but the market forces should have started with mealie meal, then the equation was going to balance out. We are disappointed with Permanent Secretary Mr. Shawa over his reaction in supporting the FRA pricing. We hope he was misquoted, otherwise we would begin to think he is a foot amiss in the Ministry.”
He said ZNFU is ready to sit down and meet anyone in Government to resolve these agriculture issues.
“As for farmers, I hear some of you have already started feeding maize to your animals. I appeal to you to hold on until we get a better price for our maize. This is a time when we need to be more united than ever.”
THERE IS A BIG THING BEHIND THIS K60 MY HEART BLEEDS FOR THE FARMER.
Today the government is stealing from poor farmers who have worked so hard produce the maize a very high cost just to misslead the people that things are ok. let’s wait and see for how long will the government continue abusing the farmers.
Mr. Zimba, thanks. Zambia needs people like you who speak for the poor
@Awe ba Lungu Mwachilamo you na ba Javis and Mushota dont know there is a ”mini SOE”
I am an urban resident and isolated from the trials that millions of rural peasant farmers undergo.
I pledge my 100% solidarity with them. Many of us were put through our education by the toiling of mothers weeding their fields with their hoes.
I bleed for our people. Things are mot easy in town, what about the grass huts in the villages who have no other income.
Really our President ECL you are the father of this nation. The K80 per bag farmers are asking for will hurt GRZ budget for $18m
State House renovation is $15m
Cant we postphone the renovation for a year and use that money this year to help our farmers out
Zimba has alluded to an issue that needs more debate
Two months ago mealie meal prices were deemed to be too high. FRA bought maize on the open market at a high price and sold it to millers at a low price to subsidise mealie meal
Is this called free market ? What type of absolute c.rap is this when it comes to the farmers turn ?
When maize pricrs go up the market economy is suspended. Borders are blocked with paras. Export Ban is effected. 10% export tax is introduced.
But when maize prices collapse the farmer is told to live with market forces !
And where is our President on this issue. We realky need him to intervene as our head. This is a pro-poor Government !!!
Why can’t Farmers sell corn, maize, direct to Millers? Why go through FRA? Please educate me. Want to venture into Farming when I come back home. Thanks.
Why do they waste their time planting maize??
It really does not make any sense for Lungu’s GOVT and FRA to exploit the poor farmers whose inputs they used was costing K350/400 per bag.Besides this what does it mean if not just fooling farmers to encourage them to grow more maize and then dictate them to buying at their produce at K60 a bag?FRA Director is not economist despite his statement to justify the current price lower than the cost of fertilizers as a lawyer,I also find it a misplaced position he has been offered and whoever,did that he made a mistake because this institution is supposed to be headed by a well versed Agriculturist/economist no wonder the system of crop marketing since his tenure of office is a mess farmers, transporters and other service providers to get paid it takes ages.The permanent secretary equally…
Farmers must never again trust Government to protect their interests.They should improve their organisation and as much as possible avoid commercial maize production.Poor hard working farmers are now being used to reduce the price of mealie-meal for the more politically alert urban dweller. Wake up farmers!