Plans by a South African firm to invest US $80 million  into a palm oil plantation and a refinery plant in Nchelenge district of Luapula Province has stalled following the alleged refusal by area Member of Parliament, Benny Mwila, to give his blessing to the project.

Nchelenge District Council Secretary (CS), Mwilu Lukwesa, said a council meeting held in September this year resolved to grant 250 hectares of land in Mulwe area to the firm called Biomax.

The CS said the council meeting also resolved to recommend to the President through the Ministry of Lands to grant an extra 9,250 hectare land to enable the company start its project.

Mr. Lukwesa told ZANIS that when Biomax went to the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) it was advised to get the blessings of Nchelenge Constituency area Member of Parliament before embarking on the development of the palm oil plantation and the refinery plant.

He said Mr. Mwila, who is also National Democratic Focus (NDF) leader, has allegedly not accepted the resolution made by the council and is demanding that another council meeting be held in which he should be present so that the matter could be discussed again.

“As Council Secretary it is only now that I am learning of the regulation that for any investment project to go on, it has to have the blessings of the MP. May be it is because of the magnitude of the investment,” Mr. Lukwesa said.

Mr. Lukwesa said despite being area Member of Parliament, Mr. Mwila is an ordinary councillor in the Nchelenge District Council and should advise the Local Authority if he notices an error instead of demanding that another meeting be reconvened.

“The council meeting, in which it was decided to give the land to the investors, was held two months ago according to council regulations. I can only reconvene such a meeting after six months,” Mr. Lukwesa said.

Efforts to get a comment from  Mr Mwila by press time proved futile as the only response on his cell phone was a recording “the mobile subscriber you have called is either outside the coverage area or have their phone switched off.”

Biomax plans to invest US $80 million in the project and needs about 9500 hectares of land for it to set up a palm oil plantation and a palm oil refinery plant.

The company, which is scheduled to start full operations by 2010, plans to produce bio-diesel which it will sell as 5 per cent biodiesel and 95 per cent petroldiesel.

The Firms also plans to set up an Electricity Generating Power Station, a Palm oil Mill, and Offices, a staff Training Centre, a workshop and an irrigation system which will tap water from Lake Mweru.

ZANIS/ENDS/ESM/EB

Funds under the Citizens Economic and Empowerment Fund (CEEF) in Chavuma district are lying idle at the Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) in Solwezi because people in Chavuma cannot access the required forms.

Chavuma District Commissioner (DC) Frobisher Fulayi confirmed the development in an interview with ZANIS in Chavuma today.

Mr. Fulayi said the district received funds for programmes under economic empowerment but the funds are still lying idle in the bank because Chavuma district does not have a commercial bank from which the forms can be accessed..

He said the CEEF guidelines require people to access the funds through a commercial bank.

Mr. Fulayi, who is also the Chavuma Citizens Economic and Empowerment Fund Committee Chairperson, said the people are eager to kick-start their investment projects but lack of a financial institution from which to access forms has proved to be a draw back.

He proposed that forms be made available at the Office of the District Commissioner (DCs) so that more people can access the forms in places where they are no commercial banks.

Government released funds under the auspices of the CEEF to districts across the country.

ZANIS/KC/AM/ENDS

Beneficiary farmers under the government sponsored Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) have been warned against re-selling farming inputs provided to them under the initiative.

Chisamba Member of Parliament Moses Muteteka says re-selling farming inputs would defeat the objectives of the programme aimed at availing farming inputs to vulnerable but viable farmers.

Mr. Muteteka told ZANIS in an interview that abuse of such a facility would perpetuate both household and national food insecurity.

The lawmaker warned that anyone found re-selling the farming inputs would face the wrath of the law.

He said the farming inputs being channeled through cooperatives to beneficiary farmers must be handled in an accountable and transparent manner for the benefit of the intended farmers and the nation at large.

Mr. Muteteka said it would not do for some unscrupulous individuals to seek to access the agricultural inputs under the FSP at the expense of the intended beneficiary farmers.

The legislature explained that beneficiaries to the programme must be small-scale farmers belonging to a registered cooperative or farmer group who must be vulnerable but viable farmers.

Mr. Muteteka pointed out that if the FSP is handled prudently, household and national food insecurity would be a thing of the past.

Previously there has been reports of some malpractices happening in the programme where some beneficiaries have allegedly sold the inputs instead of using them in their fields.

And Mansa district of Luapula Province has started receiving farming inputs in readiness for the 2008/2009 farming season.

District Agricultural Coordinator (DACO), Musako Chimuka, confirmed to ZANIS that the district has already received 10,441 and 5,553 by 50 kg bags of Urea and D-compound respectively.

Dr Musako said the district had been allocated 24,000 by 50 kg bags of both Urea and D-compound and would receive the remaining amount this week.

She said Nyiombo Investment, the contractor engaged to transport the inputs, was experiencing problems to deliver the fetilizers on time.

Dr. Musako said the district has also received the whole amount of the allocated 6000 by 10 KG bags of seed varieties.

“We have received part of the fertilizers and we expect to receive the remainder this week but we have received all the 6000 by 10kg bags of seed allocation, and we have since commenced giving the inputs to farmers,” Dr. Musako said.

She said the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) has already started giving the inputs at a K50,000 subsidized price and will this year support 3000 farmers in the district.

Also small scale farmers in Solwezi District have started accessing agricultural inputs under the Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) for 2008-2009 farming season.

District Agricultural Coordinator (DACO), Kabwe Puta , told ZANIS in Solwezi today that 2,400 farmers are to benefit from the programme, adding that the inputs will only be accessed through cooperatives or farm groups.

Dr. Puta said the district has received 49 metric tonnes of maize seed and three quarters of the expected 960 metric tonnes of fertilizer and the remaining is expected before the end of this week.

He commended government for sending the inputs in time and for increasing the number of beneficiaries from last season’s 1,500 to 2,400 this season, saying this will increase production and food security at household level.

Dr Puta urged farmers to use the inputs for the intended purpose and not to frustrate government’s efforts by re-selling it.

ENDS/AH/AM/ZANIS