FARMERS in Nakonde have been advised to shun away from spreading unconfirmed information which might disturb peace in the district.
Nakonde District Commissioner, Marvelous Sikapizye, said his office received a false report of bribery that officers are obtaining money from farmers collecting inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP)
Mr Sikapizye said the false rumours have been spread that officers at Wembley Warehouse were soliciting for money from farmers to enable them to collect their fertiliser.
“I received a report that for farmers to be given fertiliser, the people at the warehouse were first asking for money from the farmers,” he said.
He however said that the rumours were proven to be false after following up the issue at the warehouse as the farmers present denied the accusations in support of the officer in-charge.
“Upon reaching the warehouse, after interrogating the farmers and the officers, we discovered that it was not true,” he said.
Mr Sikapizye appealed to the farmers to exercise patience with the distribution of fertiliser as the district had currently run out of one type of fertilizer but assured them that it will soon be restocked and all the eligible farmers will be catered for.
”I would like to ask the farmers to take it easy because I have heard that there is no Urea, currently there is only D Compound although we were promised that before this weekend it can be delivered,” he said.
And the Wembley Depot manager, Mr Brian Yowela, dismissed accusations of receiving bribes from farmers and asked those that have ever given him money to come forward and state so.
“ We are here working for these people, they are each given days to come collect fertiliser and if you check around it is not the collection day for most of these farmers present , yet they still want to collect. We have a list we follow, if I say come on Tuesday, it means you should come on Tuesday, so all those saying I have been collecting money, if there are any they should tell us here,” he said. – ZANIS
