ZNFU accuses FRA of being insincere on maize purchase
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Sat 26 June 2010, 04:00 CAT
ZAMBIA National Farmers Union (ZNFU) executive director Ndambo Ndambo has accused the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) of being economical with the truth in saying that the purchase of maize has delayed to start due to the purported moisture content.
During the Chipata District Farmers Association (CDFA) annual general meeting at Crystal Springs Hotel on Thursday, Ndambo said the issue of moisture content was not the correct position that had prompted FRA to delay in opening the maize marketing season.
“Last year FRA announced that it would start buying maize on 1st June. What we saw was that they started buying in July, this year again FRA announced that they would start buying on the 1st May but it appears they would start buying in July. Having worked for farmers I know that farmers are very intelligent people. I have never seen such an intelligent cadre of people and I know they know why FRA had delayed,” Ndambo said.
“They know the correct position as regards to the problems FRA is facing in maize marketing. If the market is not opening, the people are going to sell to briefcase businessmen at low prices.
So FRA should be sincere by telling us the truth because we in the union believe that the issue of moisture content is not the correct position. I think now FRA should just tell us because we know that they don’t just have the money. FRA should not be economical with the truth.”
Ndambo called on the government to help add a voice so that other players in the maize marketing sector could provide good prices.
Earlier Chipata district commissioner Moses Nyirenda said the government could not stop other maize buyers from buying the crop because the market was liberalised.
Nyirenda encouraged farmers not to rely entirely on one crop but to grow other crops as well. Provincial FRA coordinator Godfrey Munyoro said FRA had already started dispatching marketing requisites to various marketing centres.
Munyoro urged farmers to make sure they clean their maize before taking it to the market so that they do not spend much time at the satellite depot.
He said the maize moisture content was still high in Chipata district.
“Our current moisture content in Chipata is 13.2, Chama they have already reached the recommended 12.5 because it’s about 12.3 now so we have already started buying in Chama. The moisture content is relatively low in Lundazi at 12.8, Chadiza 14.3, Katete 13.4, Sinda 12.7, Petauke 12.8 and Nyimba 13.4. In my opinion I think in the next two weeks, we will be able to start buying,” Munyoro said.
And Eastern Province permanent secretary Eularia Syamujaye said the government appreciated the partnership with CDFA, whose overall aim was to address the structural causes of poverty, to increase food production, eradicate poverty and promote good governance in Chipata.
CDFA coordinator Virgil Malambo said the association managed to implement activities as planned in the annual work plan.
Labels: CHIPATA DISTRICT FARMERS ASSOCIATION, EULARIA SYAMUJAYE, FRA, MOSES NYIRENDA, NDAMBO NDAMBO, ZNFU
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COMMENT - And if the humble CDF can make a huge difference, imagine what would happen if the government supported local councils with 50% of national revenues? ($550 million in 2004.)
CDF has brought a lot of change - Malambo
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Mon 21 June 2010, 04:00 CAT
CHIPATA District Farmers Association (CDFA) coordinator Virgil Malambo has said the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has brought a lot of change in areas where it has been managed in a transparent manner.
In an interview after his association revealed the outcome of its research on the CDF guidelines, Malambo said there had been a lot of benefit arising from the CDF.
“We have seen a lot of great benefits from these funds, especially where they have been managed in a transparent manner and this is what we want to see. Zambia is ours, the funds are ours, so we need to guard these funds jealously and report where people are not managing the funds properly,” Malambo said.
He also called for the translation of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) guidelines for the Zambian community to understand them better.
“The community must be aware of what is happening as regards to the CDF so the translation of the guidelines is an important aspect as well,” he said.
Malambo further said the association would help in pushing for the increment of CDF allocations.
And the research revealed that the biggest challenge and concern surrounding the CDF lies with lack of transparency and accountability at the community level.
The research which was presented at Chipata district public dialogue meeting last week by Gilbert Chisenga indicated that the CDF lacked transparency and accountability from the planning of community projects to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
The report also disclosed that the Ministry of Local Government and Housing delayed too much to disburse funds to approved projects and this made communities to wait for a long time to benefit from the CDF.
The delay, according to the report, also derails the implementation of the identified community projects.
The report also revealed that council officers failed to advise members of parliament and councilors objectively over decisions on CDF because of fear of being victimised.
It stated that the other concern was that MPs abused their authority to appoint four community leaders to the Constituency Development Committee (CDC) by picking their closest political cadres.
And the participants at the dialogue meeting learnt that Chiparamba ward in Kasenengwa Constituency has had no Ward Development Committee (WDC) since 2006.
The ward, whose councillor Malvern Zulu is also Chipata mayor, was supposed to form a committee about three years ago.
Chipata district commissioner Moses Nyirenda pledged that the matter would be discussed during the District Development Committee scheduled for June 23, 2010.
And Malambo said the association was currently carrying out a project titled ‘Public Policy Engagement’ to influence change in the CDF guidelines for improved management of the fund.
He said the project which was funded by the Zambian Governance Foundation was aimed at undertaking specific public policy engagement activities that would lead to revising the CDF guidelines to make them pro-poor.
Malambo said after the research and the dialogue meeting, his association would call other civil society organisations to plan on lobbying and advocacy issues.
Labels: CDF, CHIPATA DISTRICT FARMERS ASSOCIATION, VIRGIL MALAMBO
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