Tuesday, April 23, 2024

All outstanding payments to farmers for the 2020/2021 season have now been cleared-Finance Minister

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The government has released K667 million to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) for outstanding payments to farmers under the 2020/2021 marketing season.

Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said that all outstanding payments to farmers for the 2020/2021 season have now been cleared.

Dr. Musokotwane said that today’s action by the Treasury is significant because it represents a policy shift of the UPND Government to prioritize the agriculture sector as it presents the country with the best opportunity to attain growth, especially since the majority of people are dependent on the sector.

Dr. Musokotwane said that the sector has a relatively short gestation period with low capital requirements that are necessary to address poverty and vulnerability, adding that the sector has for a long time faced a number of impediments to the realization of its full potential, and these include, the historical delayed payments for grains supplied to the Food Reserve Agency, which impact on the productivity of a subsequent farming season.

Below is the full statement

FARMERS DUES CLEARED

We have released K667 million to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) for outstanding payments to farmers under the 2020/2021 marketing season.

Considering the K960 million released to FRA on 3rd January, and the K667 million released today, all outstanding payments to farmers for the period under review have now been cleared. FRA is expected to start paying next week and clear everyone.

Today’s action by the Treasury is significant because it represents a policy shift of the UPND Government to piroritise the agriculture sector. The sector presents us the best opportunity for attaining growth; especially that the majority of our people, about 80 percent, are dependent on it. Agriculture has a relatively short gestation period with low capital requirements (especially among small scale farmers), both issues which are necessary in addressing poverty and vulnerability in Zambia.

The sector has for a long time faced a number of impediments to the realisation of its full potential, such as the historical delayed payments for grains supplied to the Food Reserve Agency. The situation negatively impacts on the productivity of a subsequent farming season. Gladly, the matter has effectively been concluded this month so that our farmers could focus on their fields instead of chasing payments.

We urge the competent authority in-charge to ensure that a transparent payment system is deployed so that our farmers get paid without delay.

Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, MP
MINISTER OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING

19 COMMENTS

  1. Well it is the obligation of any government to pay the people feeding the nation, our peasant farmers are very hard working who should be respected for their hard work and patriotism to the nation.

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  2. Coming back to the recovery of stollen money from the previous regime.
    If indeed this preside and his team were intelligent enough, they should have told Zambians to how much money they are going to recover.
    They have calculated how much they will get from each individual they are targeting.
    They should also look at how much they will spend on the project to recover the monies.
    They also look at the time frame to be spent on this venture.

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  3. If this team cannot put these dynamics into place then it just a joke of the five years in power.
    This exercise did not work with Mwanawasa and his hatred for the man who gave him the presidential seat, no wonder he went so early.
    Our projection for this government is total disaster, nothing positive will come from it.

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  4. If the cost of recovering the money is more than the amount of the assets to be recovered better they stop everything they are trying to do,because it leave Zambia more broke than before the exercise.

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  5. Only men who are jobless can manage to have sex in the morning. Because for me who works so hard, I don’t have energy in the morning.

  6. Boss are you speaking from your ivory tower or are you on the ground. In my farming block not a single one who gave their produce has received that money.

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  7. What is important is that K667 million has been released, the rest fisushi chabe.
    Another milestone ticked for UPND, and one off the PF argument list. I know was delayed, but delivered ontime within the UPND budget that started from 1st January.

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  8. You need to more in this sector for all crops and fisheries and livestone including Factors of production that includes Technologies and Methods employed Ina agricultural activities and similar This includes supporting Investments in agricultural land,marketing and export methods and information provision s on the sector through famous NAIS It including provision of Markets reports on Crops outlook yields and investIng That includes the total picture of the agricultural market seasons say 2022/2023 for the country to now the food security and balancesheet It should go beyond simply paying farmers because it’s a sector of value ND focus to develop it must be seen in initiatives drives

  9. You need to do more in this sector and balancesheet of crops livestock and fisheries in Areas of agricultural sites and opportunities promotions Investments in modern agricultural methods and financing as in comako leasing Continuing with development financing methods in DBZ There is no reason in failing to work the agricultural sector because even the current dry spell with Technologies in modern farming is no longer s reason not to achieve a superior yield in the crops against the outlook for 2022/2023 With raw materials and plants available fertiliser investments are pretty to effect down price movements to international

  10. Retirees paid, farmers paid, government institutions like hospitals paid last December, teachers and health workers recruitment on course, no cadres in markets and bus stops, opposition making media statements without the usual teargassing, arrested individuals being given bond, government appointments across regions AND YOU LIVE in Kabwata and want to be cheated by PF! Let us get real Zambians. This is a genuine government desiring to serve the nation with unimaginable stds even for PF critics.

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  11. This man should know that Ínsoni ebuntu”late release of funds doesn’t deserve the paper and ink on which the press release was scribbled. Mwalicelwa and you rush to the media to blow the trumpet, when the planting season is almost over

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  12. Upnd government budget started in January, release of funds done in January. @mutulangoma people with brains know that no many can be made available if not budgeted for. But as for you I don’t expect you to understand these dynamics.

  13. HH has a good working government which pays its farmers,teachers and creditors unlike the failed PF regime that we thankfully booted out.

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  14. God bless we got rid of Lungu and his fish ponds…..hahaha. PF bloggers above just Ma fishi Mafishi in their heads, no brains, no hope for them.

    @2 Nshilimubemba Just cut a deal with the state you bloody thief. Turn on your friends you rat, snitch a m f .

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  15. Musokotwane says “Government has paid……” meaning the contractor FRA has to vouch receiving this release of funds to enable payments to deserving recipients (farmer’s) and some comments are directed at the funder (Musokotwane) and the recipient (farmer) and not the FRA who have to make the payouts! Then you have the likes of @ Napthali and Nshilimubemba who respectively should be addressing the relevant ministries with budgeting and irrelevance of cost analysis balancing in expenditures and recoveries of proceeds acquired through criminal activity. What is @ Nshilimubemba trying to suggest, an academic exercise of say if the cost of bringing someone who ‘stole’ an equivalent of $500 000 from public funds outweighs this amount then it’s bad expenditure?

  16. Propaganda is the worst enemy of progress. I repeat people in my area have not been paid by FRA. They are still waiting. I sell to other buyers but it’s not easy for others who can’t afford transportation of their crop to private buyers. You are here jubilating because you are not affected.

  17. The aim of the Budget and spending methods is to create positive growth multipliers So the minister here like Kenny has the responsibility to direct his spending methods to achieve growth in this sector towards his projected 3.5 and performance of the key activities in the agro sector requires funding and investments Comment is correctly placed and non political just to remind Kenny on key activities We are are not cadres but reading here to confirm and assure our reasoning and see impact of spending methods on Growth and Budget performance

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