Government says it has not recorded any cases of farmers abusing the Fertilizer Input Support Programme (FISP) under the 2009/20101 farming season which is currently underway.
Government has meanwhile attributed the delays in the distribution of this year’s farming inputs to the many changes in the procurement, distribution and transportation of the inputs to farmers.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Brain Chituwo, told journalists in Lusaka today that the increase in the number of beneficiaries and the consequence reduction in the number of fertilizer bags from eight to four have helped to reduce the cases of abuse of farming inputs.
Dr. Chituwo said no inputs meant to empower small scale farmers have been found on the black market this year adding that the reduction in the number of bags has helped reduce the reselling tendency by farmers.
He has however retaliated that police and other law enforcement agencies will deal sternly with individuals or organizations found to be abusing the fertilizers.
Dr Chituwo said government has so far reached about 5000 small scale farmers out of the available 1.3 million.
He said the distribution is going on smoothly despite delays by farmers in some places to receive the inputs.
Dr Chituwo has since called on Provincial Permanent Secretary (PS) and District Commissioners (DC) to take keen interest in ensuring that the distribution of inputs is expedited and reach the farmers on time.
ZANIS
What about the fertilizers that were being dished out in Solwezi during the bye-election, isn’t that abuse?????
LT the FISP stands for farmer input support programme a new name for ther fertiliser support programme- any way changing of name does not chnage how the programme opperates, there is need to overhaul the whole system if poor farmers have to benefit.