Maravi

(LUSAKATIMES) Chadiza farmers nearly lynch mobile bank staff for non payment

Chadiza farmers nearly lynch mobile bank staff for non payment
TIME PUBLISHED - Wednesday, November 21, 2012, 2:24 pm

The Mobile Zambia National Commercial scheduled for Chadiza from Chipata this Morning rushed to Chadiza Police Station for fear of irate farmers who wanted to be paid their money for the maize they sold to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

The mobile bank, that services the district every Wednesday, could not even stop at the bank premises because of a dense multitude that had gathered at the bank to collect their money.

And upon realizing that they had no money for farmers but only Salaries for Government workers the Bank Staff decided to drive on up to the police station where they sought refuge and spent about an hour locked up in a meeting with Chadiza District Commissioner, Paul Phiri, District Intelligence Officer, Dorothy Mweemba and Police Officer in Charge, Henry Ngalande.

The mobile bank had to return to Chipata district immediately without servicing both the farmers and public service workers for fear of being harassed by the irate farmers who demanded that no civil servant was going to get paid unless farmers got what was due to them.

And addressing the farmers, Chadiza District Commissioner, Paul Phiri, said he was disappointed with the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) for cheating on the farmers.

The DC said government has already done its part by releasing the funds for the farmers but that the problem was with the FRA.

Mr Phiri said all the time he talked to the officials from the FRA they had been promising that monies for the farmers is available but wondered why money was not being deposited into the farmers’ accounts at the banks.

More than 2,000 farmers in Chadiza district have not yet been paid their money for the maize they sold to the Food Reserve Agency from the time payments began in the district.

Some farmers have been travelling from their villages for one month now covering some distance of about 17 kilo meters just to be paid their money but all has been in vain.

ZANIS

posted by MrK @ 7:33 PM