Maravi

Govt should help unpaid farmers - clergyman

Govt should help unpaid farmers - clergyman
By By Post reporter
Sat 04 Dec. 2010, 03:59 CAT

A Mpika clergyman says the government should help farmers who have not been paid by the Food Reserve Agency for the grain supplied.

Bishop Ignatius Chama, the Mpika Catholic Diocese head, said some farmers in rural areas had not been paid by the organisation and the government needed to find an alternative way of helping them to access farming inputs for this year’s farming season.

Bishop Chama said most people still went without food despite the country having recorded a bumper harvest.

He said the maize was just rotting in storage sheds while various people did not have food to take them through to the next harvest season.

Bishop Chama made the remarks during the induction of 70 justice, peace and development members at Mpika’s cathedral church yesterday.

He said economic development should start with the improvement of people’s livelihood at household level through food security.

“Our core interest in Zambia is to make more money from exporting maize. Whatever happens to the people of Zambia thereafter is to start looking for relief food from well wishers. When are we going to be self-reliant?” said Bishop Chama. “We appreciate what government has done in terms of infrastructure, but that alone is not development because people are still starving. How do you expect them to be proactive if they do not have enough food in their homes? How do you expect civil servants to fight corruption if their daily needs are not met? How do you expect the pupils to go to school and concentrate when they have not eaten? What benefits is our grandmother in Nabwalya going to get? Is she going to eat the building?”

Bishop Chama asked the government through the district commissioner to investigate reports that officers tasked to handle the distribution of farming inputs had reduced the approved number of packs which were to be given to farmers.

Bishop Chama said justice and peace soldiers of the Catholic Church would expose the injustices that the members faced if the government did not act immediately.

He said Caritas Zambia had in most cases been misunderstood by those in government and yet the organisation’s role was to promote justice, peace and development among the people.

Bishop Chama said all human beings were equal and should benefit from the resources.

He said it was unfortunate that the politicians viewed the Catholic Church as anti-government and yet it just wanted the government to better people’s lives.

Bishop Chama said the church would not remain silent as long as the injustice continued.

Labels: FRA, IGNATIUS CHAMA

posted by MrK @ 9:10 PM