Chongwe Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo has warned residents in the area who are in a habit of falsely declaring that they are farmers to benefit from the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) that they risk being arrested.
Ms Masebo notes that some individuals in the area have been pretending to be farmers to access inputs under FISP which they sell to members of the public.
She states that the government has strengthened mechanisms to monitor people who are benefiting from the programme in the district to ensure that only registered farmers benefit.
ZANIS reports that Ms Masebo was speaking when she officially opened the Manyika Baptist Churches Association Conference in Manyika Ward of Chongwe District.
The law maker indicated that the government has formulated stringent measures to ensure that all illegalities related to the implementation of FISP in the district are curbed.
“We have noted as government that there are some individuals who have been masquerading as farmers when they are not and these people have been collecting inputs under FISP which they are selling to the public. Such behavior is unacceptable and illegal. This year, we will monitor beneficiaries of the programme to ensure that they are indeed farmers”, Ms Masebo said.
Ms Masebo called on residents in the area to be vigilant and report any illegalities which they may come across during the implementation of this year’s FISP season.
She stated that the government will continue engaging and empowering farmers with knowledge, skills and resources through various initiatives to enable them to thrive in the face of climate change.
Ms Masebo cited the implementation of the Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility (SAFF) as being among the initiatives that the government has successfully implemented in the area to sustain farmers during drought.
She also commended farmers in the ward for producing high yields of white maize and selling the crop to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
“I would like to thank you for selling your maize to FRA. The maize you are selling to the agency will go a long way in enhancing the country’s food security”, Ms Masebo said.