FRA Failure Leaves Disabled Farmers Without Inputs

FRA Failure Leaves Disabled Farmers Without Inputs

People living with disabilities in Sinda District of Eastern Province have said delays by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in paying farmers for maize delivered during the current marketing season have affected them more severely than other groups, leaving many unable to prepare for the next planting cycle and pushing already vulnerable households deeper into hardship.

District chairperson Ayenera Phiri said the failure by FRA to promptly clear payments had left disabled farmers without the means to buy fertiliser and seed, despite having successfully delivered maize and holding official FRA receipts. He said the delays had compounded the structural disadvantages faced by persons with disabilities in rural farming communities.

Phiri said cultivation for farmers with disabilities was already difficult because of limited access to capital, labour, and inputs, and that the non-payment for maize deliveries had worsened their situation. He said many disabled farmers relied on timely FRA payments to meet basic needs and reinvest in farming activities.

“We don’t have fertiliser this year because we took our maize to FRA but to date we have not been paid,” Phiri said, explaining that the delay had left farmers uncertain about whether they would be able to plant within the remaining window of the rainy season.

He said the situation had been made worse by the exclusion of many people with disabilities from agricultural cooperatives. According to Phiri, disabled farmers were often rejected when they attempted to join cooperatives, which limited their access to the e-voucher system used to distribute farming inputs.

Phiri said the exclusion was frequently justified on the basis that persons with disabilities were perceived as high-risk or incapable of meeting cooperative obligations. He said this perception had left disabled farmers dependent on Social Cash Transfer support while being denied access to productive farming programmes.

“In cooperatives we are rejected because of our disability, and now we don’t know how we will survive,” Phiri said.

He said the lack of FRA payments had also closed off borrowing options for disabled farmers. Phiri said lenders were unwilling to extend credit to farmers with disabilities, even when they presented proof of maize delivery and pending payment from FRA.

“Despite having FRA receipts, people are refusing to lend us money because of our physical status,” Phiri said, adding that many potential lenders believed disabled farmers would be unable to repay loans regardless of evidence to the contrary.

He said this perception had intensified the vulnerability of disabled farmers, who lacked alternative income sources or assets that could be used as collateral. According to Phiri, the inability to borrow had left many households without food security and without the means to invest in the next farming season.

Phiri said the uncertainty surrounding payment timelines had created anxiety and distress among affected farmers. He said many did not know when they would receive their money or whether the delay would extend further into the planting season.

“We don’t know when we are going to get our monies. FRA should think about us over our monies,” he said, urging the agency to prioritise payments to vulnerable groups.

He appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema to intervene and establish the cause of the payment delays, saying direct action was needed to prevent further hardship. Phiri said prompt payment would allow disabled farmers to buy fertiliser, secure seed, and make use of the remaining planting period.

“Let it give us our monies fast so that we get helped. The delay of FRA has put us in a fix,” he said.

The concerns raised by disabled farmers in Sinda reflect broader frustrations among maize producers across the country, thousands of whom have yet to be paid for grain delivered to FRA. Farmers have expressed mixed reactions to how the agriculture sector has been managed, with delays affecting preparation for the next farming season.

For farmers with disabilities, however, the consequences have been more severe due to limited coping mechanisms. Unlike able-bodied farmers who may supplement income through casual labour or alternative activities, many disabled farmers depend almost entirely on farming proceeds and social support.

Phiri said the continued delay threatened to reverse gains made through inclusive agriculture and social protection programmes. He warned that if disabled farmers missed the planting season, they risked prolonged food insecurity and deeper dependence on welfare support.

He said the situation called for urgent intervention to ensure that vulnerable groups were not left behind in agricultural policy implementation. According to Phiri, addressing the payment delays would not only restore confidence among disabled farmers but also affirm government commitments to inclusion and equity.