Maravi

Govt should find money to buy maize from small-scale farmers – Muntanga

Govt should find money to buy maize from small-scale farmers – Muntanga
Written by Agness Changala in Lusaka and Peter Sinyangwe in Kawambwa
Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:12:34 AM

PARLIAMENTARY Committee on Agriculture chairperson Request Muntanga has said the government should exercise seriousness and find money to buy maize from small-scale farmers before they are exploited by private buyers. And the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has released an additional K600 million towards the purchase of maize in Kawambwa district.

Reacting to agriculture deputy minister Daniel Kalenga's recent statement that the government had no money to purchase all the maize from small-scale farmers throughout the country in this year's marketing season and that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had been mandated to borrow money from the banks, Muntanga, who is also United Party for National Development (UPND) Kalomo member of Parliament, said farmers were stranded in his constituency and were lining up to wait for private buyers to buy their maize.

He wondered why the government found it so easy to release money on importing crops than buying the local produce.

“Let the government buy the crop and stock enough because we are likely to get low yield of crops this year,” he said. “If the government can find money to import crops why can't it find money to buy the maize from farmers locally?”

He said some private buyers in Kalomo had offered to buy the maize from the farmers at K40, 000 per 50 kilogramme bag as opposed to the K65, 000 floor price of maize which was earlier announced by FRA.

Muntanga said private buyers demanded to buy a bag of maize at K40, 000 because they knew that farmers were desperate to sell their maize and would not hesitate to sell because they needed money.

He said Kalenga and his ministry should not just release money when they wanted to import crops.

“Kalenga must start thinking of not only to release money for imports but also buy the local crops to ensure enough stocks” he said. “Who are the beneficiaries of those actions?”

And Muntanga said the government must publicize the major changes made after the revision of the Fertiliser Support Programme (FSP), now Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP), as most farmers did not know what had happened.

Muntanga said the government must also state the conditions attached to the new revised programme, saying the country risked getting low production of crops.

And Kawambwa district commissioner, Gershom Tanga said the additional funds from the FRA would help with the purchase of more maize from small-scale farmers in the area.

District Agricultural Coordinator (DACO), Henry Mugomba could not be reached for comment but sources from his office confirmed receipt of funds.

The source who preferred not to be named also said the funds had already been used.

And on Thursday, Mugoma said his office was under pressure from farmers because of the delay to pay them for the maize they brought for sale sometime ago.

Mugomba said during the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) meeting that so far, over 32,840 by 50 kilogramme bags of maize had been bought in Kawambwa.

He also said all the fertilisers had been delivered to Kawambwa for the 2009/2010 farming season under the FISP.

Mugomba disclosed that 2,295 by 50 kilogramme bags of Compound D and 2,295 by 50 kilogramme bags of urea fertilisers had already been delivered to the district while seeds were still being awaited for.

Meanwhile, Mugomba said most fishermen in the fishing camps were still using illegal fishing gears, adding there was also resistance in making payments for fishing licences.

Labels: FARMERS, FRA, REQUEST MUNTANGA

posted by MrK @ 11:16 PM