Maravi

Mangani orders E/Province farmers to have clearance before payment

Mangani orders E/Province farmers to have clearance before payment
By Christopher Miti
Monday September 17, 2007 [04:00]

EASTERN Province minister Lameck Mangani has ordered that farmers who sell maize worth over K10 million should not be allowed to process payments without clearance from FRA and the provincial agricultural coordinator (PACO). And former Chipangali member of parliament Lucas Phiri has challenged government to prosecute some senior MMD cadres who are allegedly involved in corrupt practices in this year’s maize marketing exercise.

Addressing journalists at his office after meeting the agricultural coordinator, Food Reserve Agency (FRA), Zambia National Commercial Bank and Finance Bank officials last week, Mangani said maize traders that had dominated the market had created a lot of problems.

“The traders have created problems because they are using ten to twenty farmers to receive payments and this has caused unnecessary shortages of cash. So we have decided to take measures that all payment should be up to the maximum of 263 by 50 kilogramme bags of maize and anybody who is going to deliver maize far above K10 million will require special clearance from the PACO and FRA manager,” Mangani said.

He said he had been prompted to put up some measures to ensure that a lot of small-scale farmers benefit from the marketing exercise. “Money is coming in but it’s being hijacked by traders who use a lot of tactics to get what they want,” Mangani said. He instructed the banks not to allow people to get money on behalf of their colleagues. Mangani said the preferential treatment that was given to certain people had been abused in the province.

“Instead of selling 50 kilogramme bags, some people who are given this treatment sell over eight thousand bags. These people should as well be cleared,” Mangani said.
And Phiri challenged the government to prosecute some senior MMD cadres and leaders who were involved in corrupt practices in the maize marketing exercise.

“I have proper evidence where some senior MMD cadres got receipts from corporative societies, got Goods Received Notes (GRN) from District Corporative Unions (DCU) and at the end of the day, they get money from the bank for the maize they did not deliver. They use the same money to buy maize from farmers at a cheaper price. This syndicate has been exposed and people involved are known but the provincial administration wants to burry the story,” he said.

Phiri said the provincial administration would not be helping President Mwanawasa and agriculture minister Ben Kapita by shielding the culprits.

Labels: EASTERN PROVINCE, MAIZE

posted by MrK @ 4:24 AM