Maravi

(LUSAKATIMES) Delayed payment of farmers due to untimely budgetary allocation

COMMENT - So Minister Elijah Muchima, when is this going to change? It does not help the farmers to just know why they are not getting payed for their product or work. How about cash on delivery?

Delayed payment of farmers due to untimely budgetary allocation
Friday, October 29, 2010, 11:39

Southern province minister, Elijah Muchima has attributed the late delay of paying farmer’s maize grain sold through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to untimely budgetary allocation that was slotted to the agency during the 2009/10 farming season.

Mr. Muchima however said government was doing everything possible to ensure that all the maize from the season’s bumper harvest shall be secured and paid for.

Officiating at the Chungu , Lwiindi traditional ceremony of chief Chikanta of the Tonga people in Kalomo recently, Mr. Muchima said FRA before the maize buying extension exercise of September 30, to October 30, managed to buy 800,000 x 50 kilo grams of maize requiring a total of K62 billion to be paid out to the farmers.

He however, observed that not all the farmers have been paid to date due to limited budgetary allocation which was given to FRA.

The district in the previous farming seasons saw FRA operating in only 7 buying satellite depots while this year it increased to 21 depots.

” We budgeted for K100 billion for FRA but with due respect even to our mothers, when you are an expectant mother and you are thinking of a giving birth to one child but upon delivery you give birth to triplets what do you expect of your financial planning for your babies?” the minister explained.

And FRA spokesperson, Mwamba Siame also confirmed in an interview that by mid October, a balance of K33.7 billion had been paid out with 29 billion balance to offset the farmers for their produce which is channeled through the local Finance Bank.

Mrs Siame however said the Agency was on a monthly basis remitting colossal millions of kwachas to 68 districts in the country engaged in the maize buying exercise from farmers.

She also disclosed that over 100 tarpaulins have been sent to the district to secure the bought grain that is on open slabs and storage sheds to protect it from excessive exposure to either sun or before the onset of rains.

The FRA is also hauling maize to a newly constructed storage shed in town with a capacity of 400,000 x 50 kilograms bags of maize that costed K1.1 billion and built by a Chinese contractor, Camco.

Meanwhile, government under the National Rural Water and Sanitation Supply programme with the cooperation of the Danish International Development Agency (DANNIDA) is engaged in the construction of Siachiba Dam in chief Simwatachela’s area of Kalomo to alleviate water problems faced by the rurals in the locality.

Kalomo district council secretary, Alfred Mungalu said the construction of the dam which has its works done by 40 per cent by CHOBRO Earth moving would cater for over 3,260 people in the dotted nine villages living around its vicinity. He said the project was one of the biggest GRZ/DANNIDA/Community funded project in the district apart from the drilling of boreholes being carried out in the same programme.

The construction of the dam is to cost over K1.168 billion and so far project chairperson, Ketson Siampule has commended the contractor for good workmanship at the site which he said 4.5 metres depth have been done. Siampule said the water body would alleviate water problems faced by the existence of dry boreholes in the hilly Simwatachela chiefdom part.

And the Kalomo community has expressed concern of the opening of the K1 billion district hospital project which started four years ago. The project undertaken by JOKA construction limited through the poverty reduction programme is suppose to house dual male and female surgical/medical wards together with a children’s wing including a theatre compartment and a maternity wing.

The current district hospital is rated as a grade 1 urban clinic operating without a theatre. However district health sources said almost all the works have been done with only few touches remaining.

Labels: ALFRED MUNGALU, ELIJAH MUCHIMA, FRA, LWIINDI

posted by MrK @ 2:37 PM