Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) vice President Given Lubinda has demanded that the Government pay all farmers owed money for supplying maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
During a media briefing in Lusaka on Tuesday, Mr. Lubinda charged that the money released by the Treasury to pay farmers on Monday was insufficient to dismantle the entire debt.
The Treasury on Monday released K1.284 billion of which K960 million is meant for outstanding payments to farmers under the 2020/2021 farming season, and K324 million is the 2022 first-quarter operational support fund for public schools.
Outstanding payments to farmers for the 2020/2021 season have now been reduced by 59% from K1.63 billion to K670 million after the release of the K960 million.
Mr. Lubinda said the late release of funds to farmers will negatively affect crop production in 2022 and result in maize shortages.
He said the PF Government used to give farmers input early as evidenced by the bumper harvests Zambia used to record.
Mr. Lubinda predicted that Zambians will face misery in 2022 plus social, political and governance hardships.
“Yesterday Government announced the release of K960 Million for farmers who supplied maize under the 2020/2021 farming season which was supplied to the Food Reserve Agency. We are disappointed to note that this money is coming so late in the season that our poor faces will not be able to utilize and invest in the 2021, 2022 farming season. Today, 4th of January, is two weeks after the closing date in which farmers can plant maize viably and the farmers to date have not received their payments,” he said.
“What awaits Zambia in 2022 is shortage of maize and this will be largely because of the recklessness of the UPND Government that failed to pay farmers on time. The UPND have always compared themselves to the performance of the PF and I want to report to you that the PF always ensured that the farmer had inputs before the onset of the farming season. What is worse is that this amount of K960 million falls greatly short of paying all the farmers who have waited so long for their money,” Mr. Lubinda said.
“Since we are now in the long awaited and much publicized New Dawn budget, we in the Patriotic Front urge the Government to release all the money to all the farmers immediately. There is no excuse whatsoever. They told us to wait for their 2022 budget. Can they release all the money owed to the farmers so that the farmers can go about their farming activities so that the farmers can support their livelihoods,” he said.
Mr. Lubinda further asked the Government to pay suppliers of goods and services.
“We are aware that another category of self-employed people in Zambia are also equally suffering. Suppliers of goods and services to the Government have not been paid their dues since August 2021, thereby subjecting them to numerous financial hardships such as payment of salaries, rentals, insurance e.t.c. This is having a spiral effect on households and indeed on the economy generally. Now that the New Dawn budget has kicked in, we implore the Government to settle the local debt speedily so as to inject liquidity into the economy and to give relief to those suffering people who depend on suppliers of goods and services to the Government,” he said.
Mr. Lubinda said the reason the Government was giving over the delayed payment of suppliers was vague.
“We are aware that there are two reasons they advanced for paying suppliers. One was that they are conducting an audit; surely Government machinery must not take four months to audit suppliers of goods and services,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lubinda said the PF will continue pointing out wrongs of UPND Government and provide alternatives.
“Let’s prepare for a much better leadership and for a much better future,” he said.
Leaders like Given who failed us should not be anywhere near PF, if this continues we will all defect, and you know to where, take this as a serious warning
He is within his right to ask for his and his colleagues money, we know who most suppliers of goods and services were. PF was just a disaster
LUBINDA GET OUT OF PF AND GIVE THEM A CHNCE TO RECOVER NEW BLOOD NEW IDEAS
DID YOU PAY ALL THE FARMERS BEFORE YOU WERE BOOTED OUT NO NO NO
SO STOP TALKING NONSENSE
“Given Lubinda demands that government pays farmers”…… after his own incompetent and corrupt PF government failed to pay almost everything: retirees, nurses, soldiers, teachers and yes, FARMERS. And of course, all the debtors of his miserable government, to the tune of millions of dollars!
First you pay the genuine farmers.Make sure you delay payments to those with PF connections…After all the PF love debt or nkongole.Just ask ECL.
While I appreciate the non constructive criticism Given Lubinda is giving to the UPND new dawn administration as a citizen feel sorry for the the acting once Mighty Acting Vice President. Lubinda knows very well that him and his colleagues caused all these massive problems which the new dawn administration is trying hard to sort out. What is motivating Lubinda to command govt pay local suppliers and farmers their dues knowing down his heart that they are cause of the mess we have found ourselves in as a country. Its all known that most of the suppliers who were connected to PF used to supply air and the reason why the govt is taking long to carry an audit starting from source to end user and its not easy if this transaction involved thieves who colluded with govt officials. Lubinda is…
Most PF members want sober minded leaders like Sylvia Chalikosa, and also wanted people like Mushanga before Mushanga showed his true colours and was caught in a clip showering heavy insults on somebody while wearing a cross in his neck, I hope he has gone to repent. Lubinda, Nakachinda, Kampyongo, Lusambio , Chilangwa are deemed as very arrogant people and rebranding can not accommodate such people. Please heed peoples voices because we wont achieve anything with the current acting leaders
What a shameless person. Asking a new government to pay outstanding debts that PF failed to settle. Start by answering where did PF take the money that was meant to settle the current and old outstanding debt to farmers. In case Lubinda is lost, we want him to explain how $84 million US was swapped with $16 million US in the Ministry of Agriculture and no one is accounting for the difference. Can he explain on behalf his colleagues where this money went and did not pay farmers before he can start demanding for anything. This is just one example.
Look who is talking! Zayelo
He is just asking to be paid his money but does not want to be direct. The modus operandi of PF was very well known
It will be also important to find NAIS and provide proper agricultural opportunities in investments and supplies Giving proper real time information on commodity futures incentivising people and investments currently there is is no statistical information on opportunities pricing and futures to shape the sector later on working financial and market structures beyond these traditional fisip currently commodity prices are showing rise people need to know more information in the sector
Were ritirees not waiting at your office to be
Paid?Mr Lubinda you should be the last person to tell government to pay?Just concentrate on your party and wait for investigative wings to catch all those on the
Wrong side.
Mr Lubinda?
The best and helpful thing for is to be quite?
Talk about your bill 10 ???? Were is it ???
Tell us why you wanted it to pass at all cost???????
Why didn’t you pay them when you were there in government. Some of these supplied FRA long before elections even from 2018.