2)–Chipata farmers demand compensation

Chipata farmers demand compensation
Chipata, 14 March, 2013, ZANIS…..Farmers in Chipata district have
appealed to government to intervene in a matter in which they were
duped by  a Cargil cotton company which allegedly supplied them with fake
fertilizer.

Chipata district farmers association (CDFA) coordinator Virgil Malambo
said there is need for government to take action in order to protect
the poor farmers who were meant to pay beyond their means for the fertilizer.

Mr. Malambo was speaking in an interview with ZANIS this morning.

Mr Malambo said the farmers who were supplied inputs by the same
cotton company reported to have allegedly been supplied with fake
fertilizer are demanding a refund and compensation from the cotton
company.

He stated that the farmers wanted their money with interest
because they were duped by the company.

Mr Malambo observed that poor farmers who got inputs in form of loans
from Cargil were forced to pay the company but got a raw deal.

 He noted that most of the farmers who were supplied inputs by the
company recorded poor yields but they still had to pay for the
inputs.

Mr Malambo said poor farmers were stressed because even the market
price for the commodity could not help them recover the loans they got
from the cotton company.

“They had to get loans from elsewhere in order to recover what they
owed Cargil for the fake fertilizer it had supplied to them,’ he said.

He complained that government was fully aware of the problem though no
action has been taken against the cotton company yet.

“The samples were proved  to be  fake fertilizer at Msekera and Mount
Makulu research centers’, so we expect government to take action
against the cotton company. Government cannot continue to be quite
over such a big scandal by a big company” ,he said.

And Mr Malambo said Chipata district would this year experience low
cotton production because most of the cotton farmers had stopped
cultivating cotton after being duped by Cargil Cotton Company.

He stated that the district would see an increase in maize, tobacco
and groundnuts production where they hope to make a profit.