The Food Reserve Agency has assured farmers that it is committed to dismantling the debt that it owes farmers that supplied the agency with maize during the 2018/2019 farming season.
FRA Public Relations Coordinator John Chipandwe says the Agency is aware that some farmers have not yet been paid and assured them that they will get paid immediately funds are made available by the Ministry of Finance.
Mr Chipandwe has dispelled assertions by some members of the public that the Agency has not paid most of the farmers that supplied maize to the FRA.
He said the FRA has to date paid out K176, 267,909 out of the K190, 322, 220 representing 92.6 percent payment.
Mr Chipandwe said the outstanding balance owed to farmers currently stands at K14, 054,311 wh9ich will be cleared once funds are made available by the Ministry of Finance.
He also clarified that the Agency has this week released funds to pay farmers in various districts of Northern, Luapula and Muchinga provinces.
Mr Chipandwe has since called for calm as the Agency is making necessary arrangements to dismantle the remaining debt as soon as possible.
Unbeliveable!
FRA received the maize, sold a few bags locally and exported the rest abroad, was paid in dollars, mismanaged the earnings in 2019 and is now waiting for someone else to pay its debt.
Meanwhile the farmer is expected to produce again, withiout the input support program because the seed and fertilizer suppliers are also owed huge sums of money and have failed to replenish their stocks. And wnen told there is hunger in the nation, some people dispute that.
Kaya!
The farmers will be paid that is what is important. We have had a very unfortunate year with climate changes which led to unplanned expenditure. Reasonable citizens will understand. However we don’t expect the opposition to do so. Kz
This is total mismanagement, made worse by the lack of transparency. Someone needs to tell Lungu that he is presiding over a broke nation. I don’t know how he is going to manage to win in 2021, while owing farmers, retirees and many others. Critical institutions are failing badly under his watch.
Yes, we need these funds in circulation.
I AGREE TOTALLY WITH YOU,
Pay farmers. Even 7.4% is too big an amout for some waiting farmers.
Clear them ASAP.
Same story
Just pay farmers, Farmers will not be amused by these endless intentions, promises, excuses and dithering. Farmers can not trust statements from FRA and PF regime that K 14, 054 311.00 owed to farmers will be cleared once funds are made available by ministry of finance. This is part of a plethora of promises unfulfilled by ” PAYA FARMER pf government.
These are what is called taka taka economics, these guys are like a guy putting on a right shoe on his left leg and the left one on the right leg, worse off if such an individual is made to wad on the slippery mud, its double disaster, the best security in any country is food, food, food, its not how buffed up your cadres are,an hungry mouth cant see those muscles once aggrieved.
If we really want to do away with the issue of buy maize in this manner then, private company is the way to go,if you look at the an fairness is just too big,if you go fra shades and stole just one 50kg bag you will see how many guns will start searching for you, but that same farmer is suffering out of his hardship to have his money really,is the ministry of Agriculture there for farmers?how do you go to the farmers will your head up and start advising New ways of farming? For us farmers we don’t know when you will see the importance in us.
Any farmer who still supplies maize to FRA on nkongole even after knowing that they will be paid after a year and that too at the rate of K75 for a 50kg bag instead of the prevailing market rate of K150 must surely be a dull farmer.
It goz to show that the government has no plan at all