Off loaders in Chinsali refuse to work on credit

——-Chinsali District Commissioner (DC), Evelyn Kangwa, says she will not tolerate officers, organisations or individuals frustrating government’s efforts and policy of delivering farming inputs for 2014-2015 farming season on time.

Ms Kangwa said this in her reaction to complaints given by fertilizer transporters who stormed her office to complain over the lack of off loaders at designated sheds.

She said warned that she will not allow or accept a situation where transporters are spending nights in the cold as a result of a poor working culture by organisations entrusted with the responsibility to receive fertilizer.

The DC said it is an acceptable that transporters should be sleeping at sheds for three nights due to unavailability of off loaders.

Ms Kangwa threatened that organisations or groups that will be frustrating the efforts that government is doing to ensure that fertilizer and other farming inputs arrive on time in the district risk having their contracts terminated.

Speaking on behalf of other transporters, Abraham Mulenga lamented that they have been spending nights in the cold from Friday to today because there are no off loaders to off load the 2,640 by 50 kg bags of urea fertilizer.
Mr Mulenga complained that the sheds have no facilities such as water and toilets, adding that they are using the nearby bush to answer the call of nature.

And Chinsali Cooperative Agricultural Union Assistant Manager, Tantameni Chali, told ZANIS that the off loaders refused to work on credit, saying they will only work once their dues are paid.

Meanwhile, 34,205   x 50 kg bags of both D- compound and Urea fertilizer and 10,109 x 10 bags of seeds have arrived in Chinsali.

Chinsali District Agricultural Coordinator (DACO), Francis Mbati, confirmed the development to ZANIS in an interview today.

Mr Mbati said 17,479 by 50 kg bags of D-compound fertilizer which is the district‘s total requirement, has already arrived in the district while 6,580 by 50 kg bags of Urea fertilizer has also arrived in the   out of 16,726  which is the district  total.

The DACO disclosed that out of 8,123 x 10 kg bags of maize seed only 6,580 bags have been received in the district while rice and groundnuts seeds have not yet been delivered.