Maravi

FRA in Kalomo owes famers K4 billion

FRA in Kalomo owes famers K4 billion
By Laurence Lungu
Monday January 07, 2008 [03:00]

THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in Kalomo still owes farmers in excess of K4 billion for maize supplied during the last agricultural marketing season. Meanwhile, the FRA in Kalomo is exporting maize to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Kalomo district commissioner Oliver Pelete revealed in an interview that about K4 billion was still owed to farmers in the district.

“The amount was actually about K5 billion but this was reduced to about K4 billion after the last funding. We hope the FRA can scout for more money to ensure that all the farmers are paid,” Pelete said.

The FRA in Kalomo bought over 380, 000 x 50kg bags of Maize.
And Pelete said the district still had a lot of maize and that the grain being exported was from the 2006 farming season.

“We still have huge stocks of maize in the district and we are exporting to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.”

Pelete could however not give the quantities of maize being exported or the amount of money involved.

“I have to get to the relevant authorities to confirm the amounts of maize that we are exporting,” Pelete said.

And the stand-off between government and Omnia over the distribution of the second allocation of fertiliser has continued with inputs still locked up in the sheds.

Pelete said distribution of the second allocation of fertiliser had not yet started despite the farming season being at a critical point.

“I honestly don’t understand why Omnia is behaving this way. Doing business with government is not like doing business with any ordinary organisation. Government may delay to pay but it will always pay. Omnia should realise that it is not punishing the government but the poor farmers,” Pelete said.

He said the situation was particularly crucial for Kalomo as over 80 per cent of the population relied on agriculture for a living.

Omnia has withheld the distribution of agricultural inputs to farmers under the government’s Fertiliser Support Programme (FSP) to compel government to pay outstanding bills.

Labels: DOMESTIC DEBT, FARMERS, FRA

posted by MrK @ 3:57 AM