— Govt to pay farmers for their maize

Govt to pay farmers for their maize

Mansa, November 18, 2014, ZANIS —-  Government has assured farmers in Mansa District that government will pay them their money for the maize they supplied to the Food Reserve Agency.

Luapula Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Joyce Nsamba says government is doing everything   possible to ensure that the farmers are paid.

ZANIS reports that the Deputy    Permanent Secretary said this when she addressed angry farmers who stormed the Provincial Administration offices in Mansa this morning.

The deputy Permanent Secretary disclosed in an interview in Mansa District today that food reserve agency owes the farmers in Luapula alone about K78 million.

Mrs. Nsamba said the Food Reserve Agency had meetings with the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders over the non-payments of farmers and it was concluded the Ministry of Finance will soon release the money to the food reserve agency to pay the workers.

And Michael Siame a farmer from Kasenga Depot in Mansa Resettlement area wondered how farmers will procure farming inputs for the this farming season.

Mr. Siame has since called on the government to look into the plight of farmers seriously as their contribution to the country economy is cardinal.

Yesterday the farmers from deferent satellite depots in Mansa matched to the main Food Reserve Agency depot where they demanded to be given back their maize.

The farmers also locked the entrance to the food Reserve Agency and efforts by Mansa District Administrative officer Evans Sikabbuba to convince them could not yield many results as the farmers continued with their demands today.

This is not the first time the farmers matched demanding to pay their money, last month the farmers stormed the district Commissioners Office in Mansa.