East farmers accuse govt of mockery
By Staff Reporter
Some farmers in eastern province has expressed disappointment with the prouncement of this year’s 65 kwacha maize floor price for a 50 kg bag of white grain maize.
Mabvuto Zimba a farmer from newly created Chipangali district toldnewsdayzambia.com in an interview that it was sad that the government had continued punishing farmers in the country.
“PF has completed failed the agriculture system in the country. How can government buy maize from farmers at 65 kwacha while vendors are buying at 70 and 75 kwacha respectively? And at the same time government is telling farmers not to sell their maize to vendors,” Zimba said.
“I’m encouraging small scale peasants to just sell their maize to vendors so that we make a small profit from the sufferings we have been going through in our farming,” he said.
“Tell farmers the truth that you can’t afford to buy maize from them than each year you just mock them. When it’s time for elections you expect the same poor farmers you treat badly to vote for you,” said Zimba.
And another farmer maiko Banda of chief Mafuta’s area in Chipata district challenged government to look into the price before they start buying the grain from farmers.
“The 65 kwacha price by government to buy maize from farmers cannot work or help any farmers at all. We pass through a lot of hard work to come up with this maize, and when selling we pay a lot of things that we remain with a 40 or 35 kwacha,” said Banda.
“Government also delays to pay farmers once we have sold the maize to the agency. And all those are expenses when farmers travel to Chipata town to check for their monies.”
Meanwhile, a farmer from Chadiza district, Whiteson Jere has asked government to explain why farmers should continue suffering.
“We have been punished for years by government. Surely, why can’t government look into the challenges farmers have been going through each year? Tell us why we should continue suffering, and tell us why you are punishing us,” lamented Jere.
And speaking before departure for Lusaka at Chipata airport on Sunday, President Edgar Lungu said he would sit down with officials from the Ministry of Finance to see if the price could be adjusted upwards.
FRA Board Chairperson Joe Simachela announced last Friday that the agency would purchase maize at K65 per 50kg bag during the 2018 crop marketing season.
This is a five kwacha increase from last year’s price.
