By KETRA KALUNGA
Delayed delivery of inputs in Nakonde has unsettled farmers who are concerned that the situation could affect the yield for this year’s farming season.
The farmers have called on the government to take disciplinary action against agriculture officers whom they accuse of having failed to do their work and taking them for granted for too long.
But the acting District Agriculture Coordinating Officer (DACO), Mr Jimmy Phiri attributed the delay to the erratic suppliy of fertiliser by the supplier, Nerias Investment as he denied accusations of taking farmers for granted.
About 20 cooperative in the district have not received Urea and are anxious that the delay would affect production because the crops are past the stage at which top dressing is applied for a good yield.
The farmers from various cooperatives complained that they have been left out every time fertiliser is delivered in the district leaving them to wonder who if not them as beneficiaries are receiving the commodity.
They have accused the officers from the department of agriculture of asking for bribes from cooperatives in form of money or at least two bags of D- compound in exchange for the bags of fertiliser allocated and have been forced to comply because they are desperate.
The farmers also disclosed that some cooperatives in the district did not receive inputs for the 2017-2018 farming season despite having made the K400 contribution as required.
Mr Phiri admitted that that most farmers in the district have not received urea fertiiser because the supplier has been slow.
Mr. Phiri said it was not possible that the officers could ask for a bribe because they are not present when the farmers redeem fertiliser from the supplier but only come in to attend to complaints regarding its quality among others.
