DC assures farmers of FRA payments

DC assures farmers of FRA payments
Nakonde November 25,2014,ZANIS…Nakonde District Commissioner(DC) James Singoyi has assured farmers in the area that they will receive their money owed by the Food Reserve Agency(FRA) by Friday this week.

Mr. Singoyi said this yesterday when farmers from various depots in the district stormed his office to complain about the delays by FRA to pay them their dues.

And farmers representative Kestone Munkondya said the delays by FRA to pay farmers their dues has negatively affected their farming activities.

Mr. Munkondya said with the onset of the rains farmers have no money to buy farming inputs and that this would negatively affect the yield for the 2014 /2015 farming season.

Mr Munkondya lamented that the onset of the rains will also make it difficult for farmers to purchase inputs as the roads become impassable during the season.

Mr Mukondya however appealed to the FRA and other relevant authorities to look into the plight of farmers.

Meanwhile, Nakonde FRA District marketing officer Fortune Makoni yesterday assured the farmers that the Agency will start distributing money by Friday ,28th November 2014.

Mr Makoni said FRA was aware that it had taken too long to pay the farmers and that as a result all their programmes had come to a standstill.

Farmers from about three depots Kantongo, Shame and Kazembe yesterday stormed the DC’s office to complain about the delays by FRA to pay them their dues. 

And District Cooperatives Union chairperson George Silwenga has welcomed the release of funds by the government to pay farmers who sold their maize to the FRA.

Mr. Silwenga said government should also honour the promise to clear the remaining balance in good time.