GOVERNMENT will open new satellite depots to buy maize from farmers contrary to stories that it intends to shut down some of them, Minister of Agriculture Emmanuel Chenda has said.
In an interview in Ndola, Mr Chenda said government is determined to buy all the maize from farmers and urged farmers to sell their maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
“We have no plans to shut down existing depots. Actually, we plan to open new ones as we start buying maize from farmers across the country,” Mr Chenda said.
He said this will make it easier to buy all the maize from farmers across the country.
Mr Chenda said some people could be cheating farmers so that they buy maize at lower prices than what the FRA is offering.
“May I remind our farmers not to allow briefcase businessmen to mislead them about selling their maize to the FRA. Maize is being bought in all our depots countrywide,” Mr Chenda said. The minister said government is committed to paying farmers on time and “on first come basis”.
Mr Chenda said government has released money to the FRA for payments to farmers supplying maize to the agency and that government will not allow corruption during maize buying.
“Corruption will not be entertained this time around. We want to deal with farmers who will supply maize and ensure prompt payment,” Mr Chenda said.
He said government has also allowed the FRA to borrow additional funds from commercial banks to pay farmers supplying maize.
Mr Chenda said government will also pay farmers who do not hold bank accounts, adding that reports that farmers without bank accounts will not be paid after supplying the maize are false.
“We will pay farmers with or without bank accounts, as long as they have supplied maize to FRA,” Mr Chenda said.
And the minister is disappointed that some satellite depots in Mpongwe have not yet been opened two weeks after the marketing season started.
Mr Chenda has called on FRA officials to ensure that the depots are opened as soon as possible to enable farmers to sell their maize.
“Open these depots as soon as possible. As you can see, the private sector is already buying maize from our farmers and they will take advantage of the situation,” Mr Chenda said.
He said his ministry expects to have an estimated 2.5 million metric tonnes of maize harvested this year, compared to last year’s three million metric tonnes.
And the minister has appealed to the FRA to ensure that they use all channels of communication to give the right information to farmers as some maize buyers are distorting information, for their own benefit.
And government will introduce a stabilisation fund to enable it to intervene when prices of a certain crop suddenly fall.
Mr Chenda said government has been given a lot of homework following the sudden fall of cotton prices, hence the need to introduce the stabilisation fund.
Mr Chenda was speaking in Ndola on Saturday after touring FRA satellite depots in Mpongwe, Masaiti and Ndola.
“Farmers went into cotton farming because it was very marketable and suddenly prices have fallen. This has really given us some homework. We want to be able to intervene in circumstances beyond the farmer’s control,” Mr Chenda said.
Meanwhile, Mpongwe district commissioner George Nsali has appealed to government to work on feeder roads as it is difficult for farmers to take their maize to depots because of the bad road network.
Mr Nsali said the FRA must also improve on its communication as most farmers are misinformed.
Among the depots the minister visited are Nchembo, Ndubeni, Bwebelelo and Kanyenda, Masaiti Central and Kafubu waterworks.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
there is need for a clear policy on maize marketing. From what the Minister says, it would appear FRA are the buyers of first choice not last resort to create reserves. FRA should have concentrated on the most rural places and leave the private sector to service the places which are easily accessible. What should be important is the availability of information on FRA prices so that it can guide the farmers and buyers. With regard to the stabilisation fund, while being a good idea, is very expensive and cannot be sustained without damaging the economy.
spot on.i could not have said it better
Paya Farmer
Paya Fama is becoming a powerful silent slogan in rural farming communities. Some Farmers have not been paid for last years maize imagine. Farmers are pissed off and PF can kiss good bye to the Fama’s vote ! CNP at work
Was this govt misunderstood on the closing down of some sattelite depots and the selling of 153 bags of maize per farmer? How about those have not been paid for the maize they supplied FRA last season, is this issue also being addressed? Give us your policy on agriculture so that we misunderstand the govt on such critical issues.
Flip followed by a Flop!. A gov’t of clueless and pathetic fools. Don’t believe anything they say. Their word is unreliable, deceitful, and dishonourable.
PF abbreviation stands for PAYA FARMER not PATRIOTIC FRONT its true @ VJ Rigger i support it.
THIS IS THE RETURN OF 1991 MMD. WHY SHOULD FARMERS BE MADE TO SLEEP FOR DAYS AT FEW MAIZE BUYING DEPOTS. POOR PLANNING BWANA. DO NOT DESTROY EVERYHING YOU FOUND, INSTEAD BUILD ON.
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