By NATION REPORTER
SWINDLED beneficiaries of the Aquaculture Seed Fund have demanded that Government expedites its probe into the scam where some officials at the Ministry of Livestock were allegedly involved in the overpricing of fish farming equipment.
The beneficiaries, under the Zambia Aquaculture Enterprise Development Project (ZAEDP) complained that they would find it challenging to pay back the loans to the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) because they got expensive equipment which they blamed on the officials who allegedly swindled them.
The farmers accused some officials of conniving with suppliers of equipment and fingerlings to overprice the materials leading to costs rising as high as K96, 000 and leaving operating capital of K17, 000.
Speaking on behalf of other affected farmers, Mr Bernard Simweemba said Government should get to the bottom of the issue and ensure that beneficiaries of the fund get value for the loans which they acquired through CEEC.
He said failure to do so, very few will be able to repay their loans which has already started accumulating interest.
Mr Simweemba demanded that a probe should be able to fish out those who duped farmers and ensure that they are held accountable for their actions.
Meanwhile, the Small-Scale Fish Farmers Association (SSFFA) says Government should provide more funding to the aquaculture subsector to close the fish deficit gap created by overfishing in natural river bodies.
Currently, Zambia has an annual fish deficit of about 80, 000 metric tonnes and only produces over 100, 000 metric tonnes of which about 85, 000mt is from capture fisheries while the aquaculture sector, which is in its infancy, only contributes around 30, 000 metric tonnes.
SSFFA chairperson Victor Chatilika said in an interview, that the current funding is not enough which has resulted in many farmers being left out.
He said while the country’s aquaculture subsector has continued growing, the pace at which it is moving is too slow, considering that Zambia is blessed with abundant water resources and skilled manpower offering extension services to farmers.
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