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.

PF Presidential Hopeful Says He Will Not Be Silenced

Patriotic Front presidential aspirant Makebi Zulu has said he poses a serious political threat to President Hakainde Hichilema, accusing the government of orchestrating sustained propaganda and intimidation efforts aimed at weakening his political standing ahead of the 2026 general elections.

Zulu said the growing focus on his activities and the narratives surrounding his role in the burial arrangements of former president Edgar Lungu were politically driven and intended to marginalise him from national political engagement. He said the government’s conduct reflected insecurity rather than a genuine concern for legality or order.

According to Zulu, the state has deliberately sought to create circumstances that would remove him from active participation in domestic political affairs by pushing the narrative that he should remain outside the country during the mourning period. He said this approach was designed to sideline him at a time when political mobilisation was intensifying.

Zulu said the government had relied on what he described as coordinated messaging to portray him as a subject of possible arrest, despite the absence of any offence committed on his part. He maintained that such narratives were meant to justify potential state action against him while shaping public perception in advance.

He said his involvement in matters relating to the burial of the late former president was motivated by respect for the grieving family and the need to ensure dignity in the process. Zulu said he had acted within the law at all times and rejected claims that his role warranted police intervention or judicial action.

Zulu said there was no legal basis upon which he could be arrested, arguing that supporting a bereaved family did not constitute a criminal act. He said attempts to associate him with wrongdoing were part of a broader strategy to intimidate opposition figures.

He accused the United Party for National Development (UPND) government of being heavy-handed in its handling of the burial impasse, saying it had become more concerned with asserting political control than with respecting family wishes and established norms. According to Zulu, the administration was treating the burial dispute as a political contest rather than a solemn national matter.

Zulu said the approach mirrored the government’s conduct during the passage of Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7, where he said political victory was prioritised over consensus and public sentiment. He argued that the same determination to “win” was now being applied to the burial issue, with little regard for dignity or reconciliation.

He further accused the government of promoting misinformation, including allegations that the former president may have been poisoned by members of his own family. Zulu said such claims were reckless, unsubstantiated, and had caused unnecessary distress while prolonging the burial process.

According to Zulu, these allegations were used to justify calls for an inquest and demands for further examinations in South Africa. He questioned why such measures were being pursued when there was no credible evidence to support claims of foul play.

Zulu also criticised the decision to issue a subpoena to Tasila Lungu, saying it demonstrated how far misinformation had influenced official actions. He said the move to summon her and demand DNA testing was excessive and contributed to delays in resolving the burial arrangements.

He said the government’s conduct amounted to persecution rather than concern, arguing that the late former president was being disrespected even in death. Zulu said the administration’s actions contradicted its public claims of wanting to resolve the impasse amicably.

Zulu warned that the politicisation of the burial issue risked deepening national divisions and undermining public trust in state institutions. He said the use of state machinery to pursue political objectives weakened democratic norms and eroded confidence in governance.

He said Zambians were closely observing how the government handled the matter and would draw conclusions about its commitment to fairness, dignity, and the rule of law. According to Zulu, the episode had become symbolic of broader governance challenges facing the country.

Zulu said he remained undeterred by the pressure and would continue to participate in national affairs. He said attempts to isolate or intimidate him would not prevent him from engaging with issues he considered just and necessary.

He maintained that any effort to arrest or silence him would only reinforce perceptions of intolerance toward opposition voices. Zulu said the political future of the country would ultimately be shaped by how leaders conducted themselves during moments of national sensitivity.

UPND Underestimates Public Discontent, Says Siamunene
New Focus Party leader Richwell Siamunene has warned that the United Party for National Development (UPND) faces a significant electoral setback in the coming year if it continues to underestimate public dissatisfaction and the depth of political discontent among citizens, insisting that Zambians are ready for a change of government regardless of the state of opposition unity.

In an interview with The Mast, Siamunene said the ruling party was making a strategic miscalculation by assuming that a divided opposition would translate into political safety ahead of the 2026 general elections. He argued that political change in Zambia had historically been driven by the will of the electorate rather than by formal alignments among opposition parties.

Siamunene maintained that the prevailing mood in the country reflected widespread frustration rooted in lived experiences rather than political messaging. He said hunger, unemployment, rising costs of living, and prolonged economic hardship had reshaped public attitudes and eroded confidence in the current administration.

“Change is coming, and anyone who thinks it will be a tall order should be a bad student of history,” Siamunene said, arguing that visible signs of dissatisfaction were evident in daily interactions with citizens across the country.

He described Zambia’s current challenge as a leadership crisis rather than a purely economic one, saying governance failures had compounded economic strain and intensified social pressure on households. According to Siamunene, the absence of decisive and credible leadership had left citizens feeling abandoned and disillusioned.

“The only war the country and its people are facing is a leadership crisis,” he said, adding that many Zambians were prepared to seek change at the ballot box as a result.

Siamunene said the year ending December 31, 2025, had been the most painful period for citizens in recent memory, marked by prolonged electricity outages, uncertainty in livelihoods, and what he described as social stagnation. He said households had endured extended hours without power, disrupting small businesses, domestic routines, and income-generating activities.

He dismissed recent government efforts to increase daily electricity supply hours, saying the measures came too late to reverse public frustration. Siamunene argued that the adjustment to a 10-hour power supply schedule did not address the underlying causes of the energy crisis and failed to provide reassurance that the situation was sustainable.

“The 10-hour electricity supply was too late,” he said, adding that government had not adequately explained the fundamentals behind the improvement or outlined how long the arrangement would last.

According to Siamunene, prolonged load shedding had had consequences beyond inconvenience, affecting productivity, household stability, and the broader economy. He said the cumulative impact of these disruptions had deepened public resentment toward the ruling party.

Siamunene warned that dismissing these grievances or assuming that dissatisfaction would not translate into electoral consequences could prove costly for the UPND. He said political history in Zambia showed that ruling parties often underestimated the electorate’s capacity to effect change, particularly during periods of sustained hardship.

He further argued that opposition strength should not be measured solely by party structures or alliances but by the extent to which citizens felt compelled to seek an alternative. He said the electorate’s determination to change leadership mattered more than the organisational coherence of opposition parties.

“What matters most is the willpower of the people who want change, not individual political organisations,” Siamunene said.

He said even individuals within government circles were aware of the political risks the ruling party faced but continued to act as though public dissatisfaction posed no real threat. According to Siamunene, this complacency ignored historical patterns in which governments lost power despite fragmented opposition movements.

Siamunene likened the current social and economic conditions to displacement, saying citizens were living as though they were refugees despite the absence of war. He attributed this situation to economic pressure, governance challenges, and policy decisions rather than external shocks.

He said rising living costs, job scarcity, and uncertainty had reshaped daily life for many households, leaving families struggling to cope and eroding confidence in political leadership. According to Siamunene, these realities would weigh heavily on voter behaviour as the country moved closer to the next general elections.

Siamunene said communication failures had further widened the gap between government and citizens, arguing that official messaging had failed to resonate with people experiencing hardship. He said the lack of transparency and consistent engagement had contributed to mistrust and scepticism toward government initiatives.

He warned that the coming electoral period would test whether the ruling party had accurately assessed public sentiment or continued to rely on assumptions about opposition weakness. According to Siamunene, credibility, leadership conduct, and responsiveness to public concerns would play a decisive role in shaping the political outcome.

Siamunene said Zambians had endured what he described as unnecessary pain over the past year and would ultimately judge the government based on their experiences rather than promises or political rhetoric.