Tue, 19 Dec 2017 09:05:21 +0000
…only 400, 000 out targeted 1million have accessed activated e-voucher cards
By Nation Reporter
IT is unacceptable that only 400, 000 out of the targeted one million farmers have accessed the e-voucher cards, Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has disclosed.
And ZNFU has warned Zambians to expect a negative harvest next year because 600, 000 farmers had no access to their e-voucher cards despite the planting window coming to an end.
Media and public relations manager Kelvin Kaleyi in an interview with the Daily Nation yesterday wondered when the 600, 000 farmers were going to access the cards, inputs and everything.
“The target is one million and only 400, 000 farmers have accessed so when will the remaining 600, 000 access because we only have a week before January.
“…government announced that they had released K400 million to farmers that were supposed to be paid by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) some of them have not been paid yet and then there was also K1.7 billion that was supposed to be released and part of it was released but it has not been accessed by farmers yet.
“So it creates a very difficult situation for farmers because they want to make the counter deposits but they haven’t yet accessed their monies, they have also not been paid by the FRA so to speak, Government is saying they released counter funding but that funding is not being accessed because the banks are not releasing the money so farmers have been caught up in this situation,” Mr Kalayi said.
He said the situation was becoming anxious and desperate.
He said the critical planting window has passed because it is during the first and second week of December when farmers are supposed to plant to get a good yield.
“Now the first and second week of December have passed, we are into the third week and some farmers haven’t even accessed their cards yet, it’s a desperate situation,” Mr Kaleyi said
He appealed to farmers who would receive the funds next week to consider planting early maturing seed because after next week it will be January.
