Kawambwa farmers complain over delayed payment by FRA

Some farmers in Kawambwa district in Luapula Province have complained towards Food Reserve Agency’s (FRA) delay to pay them their money.

The visibly annoyed farmers that stormed the DC’s office revealed that they delivered the maize for sale in August this year.

One of the farmers Mathias Simpasa said FRA’s delay to pay them is worrying because they have even failed to pay for farming inputs for 2014 / 2015 farming season under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

Mr Simpasa said farmers are now panicking as most of them cannot cultivate as they do not have money since they have not been paid.

He said the FRA Marketing Assistant, Thompson Mbuzi said he is not sure when the farmers will be paid their money.

He appealed to government to seriously look into the matter so that farmers can be paid their money.

Mr Simpasa noted that the delay to pay farmers will affect next year’s production because they have not started to prepare their land for cultivation.

And another farmer, Chilufya Kabila called on government to give them back their maize so they can sell in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where they were offering a good prize of K100 per 50 kg bag of maize.