Oposition United Party for National Development (UPND) in Mazabuka is demanding for the immediate resignation of Food Reserve Agency management for failing to pay farmers their dues since July last year.
UPND District Chairman, Lloyd Buumba said FRA was demoralising farmers by not paying them on time so that they can acquire inputs.
Mr Buumba said most farmers have not sent their children to school because of the delay by FRA to pay them their money.
Mr Buumba, who is also Mazabuka Central Ward Councillor, said if the FRA boss can not resign, then he should be fired because he has let down the farmers.
He told farmers who were protesting at the District Commissioner’s office that government should not take advantage of the farmers’ vulnerability.
He said failure by government to pay the farmers will have a negative effect on the crop production.
Meanwhile, The Cotton Development Trust (CDT) has predicted a reduction in the production of cotton in Southern province due to the peculiar rainfall pattern that the province has experienced this farming season.
CDT Director West Chita said in an interview today that several crops will be affected by the higher than normal rainfall that the province has experienced.
Mr Chita said cotton production is expected to be low compared to last year adding that the minimum amount of cotton the province will produce could be in the range of 40 to 60 percent.
He said excessive rains caused the fields to be water logged such that weeding and pest control were difficult and challenging to the farmers.
“Our assessment is that this has been a bad season. On crops like maize the effects have already been felt but on cotton there is still some hope that through good management and depending on the weather pattern,” Chita observed.
Mr Chita said organisations that deal with small scale farmers should help in creating awareness to farmers about the effects of global warming.
“Civil society, non governmental organisations, government and ginning companies should take a holistic approach on making sure that farmers are sensitized on the effects of global warming and climate change,” Mr Chita said.
He said farmers should not leave in the dark but they should instead follow meteorological information and advice in order to adapt to the changing climate.
While I maintain that the LPM admin has been the best since the colonial era, I would also love to agree that there are a lot of individuals in the GRZ who are not doing there jobs properly and they must be fired. this kombwe at FRA the chimbwi at ZESCO and the mphendwa at ZAMTEL must be hang kumukobeko.
I wonder what economic activity the rural peasants should be engaged in given that FRA is failing to pay for their crop. The MMD campaigned against promisory notes. I take it that now Govt is turning its own citizens into slaves (working without payment). What explanation has Mwanawasa for nonpayment of these farmers? This is the man who chairs cabinet meetings. Surely, what is it that these chaps discuss at these meeting? Looked at it this way, if the President cannot make his ministers work, who will? The national budget only addresses the LPM’s medical attention in the UK leaving out local debt conracted by Govt.
Zulu,
Be patient, as a member of the team that tax papers have been investing in over these years I must hint that please hold your rage. We have been in the Diaspora and almost all of us are done with our academic discipline. We were all scattered but have been in consensus of returning home now. We are going to serve the nation. Tax papers have educated us. Some of us didn’t come here as economic migrants to infuse ourselves without return plans to returning home. The blue print was and has been that after finishing studies no matter the duration, strategic job will exist regardless of the administration in place. True to the words, its that time now. Some of those positions you are men
Zulu,
Some of those positions you are mentioning have long been preserved for us.Watch dynamics of change.
I hate it the way Sata always tries to gain mileage on Chiluba’s self imposed woes. It was not Levy who asked him ati aye mukwiba from the Zambian people. We all know Satanyoko shared in the spoils that’s why he feels this way and had Chiluba annointed him, the man would be garavanting the roads of this country a freee man. Sata’s statement says a lot about the Iturian Northern Janjaweed in Zambia, they are all stinking thieves oozing with rot in every pole and no wonder in Zaire where they reign, its perpetual chaos and kleptocracy is the rule of the day and law unto itself. This country will only develop once this Janjaweed cancer is surgically removed from our territory to join Katanga.
corrupt officials
#5, Sata is now in UPND? Seek an audience with the man and share your grievances. Who knows, he might ask some cadres to descend on you for your efforts.
FRA please do something about Buumba’s statements. It is very sad that the said farmers have not been paid what is due to them.
President Mwanawasa, this is time for you to show concern on what really matters to people as you are our leader of Zambia.
surely our president should do something with fra it has failed to deliver people have been about their money but it is not coming forth what is the problem?
My humble appear to fellow bloggers: Pipo let ignore this STINKING THIEF in #4 dont respond to his shallow minded contributions.
Sorry it is #5
I thought FRA was run on a profitable basis, this is the price we pay for ignorance, God knows what happened to Southern Province Cooperative Marketing Union (SPCMU, CPMCU, NPCMU, Namboard who were functional, they had their own problems but atleast they used to pay the farmers latest November of the same year, do not ask how I know, my father was a commercial farmer who depended on these near perfect institutions to pay our bills, but FRA is simply incoridgible.
The whole nation is a crime scene.
For a change UPND is talking , keep on talking dont shy away eh ! u r leaving SATA compaining wonder why he did better than HH???? his always talking………..
#12 You are right. Those days NAMBOARD used to buy the produce from farmers and pay them on time we used to call such arrangments as copper. Shame pipo have run out of ideas. The silos in Chisamba are not being used reason… they where built by KK. rubbish……keep talking UPND
NAMBOARD was killed by Rupiah Banda. Sad that many of our citizens have such poor memories. LPM does not promote anybody unless you are related to him or come from the sam fprovince. FRA is sick because it does not have a vision of becoming an efficient and effective food custodian for Zambians. It is coated in capitalist paint whose agenda is to screw up the farmers. UPND must think and not be such a gentle party. Zambia is a brutal nation to its citizens and requires tough leadership to rescue it from the thugs. Playing nicey, nicey will not win hearts and minds of people brutalized by thugs on all sides..mmd, sata, and chiluba.
Sata makaka, wilaibepa ati kuti wateka Zambia, we mbwa we.Tukakumwenako. Ata se, we mbwa.