GOVERNMENT has released the last balance of K36 million to pay farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), says Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo. Mr Katambo said the funding release would liquidate all the outstanding money which Government owed farmers through the FRA. He said the Ministry of Agriculture has directed the FRA to work round the clock to ensure that all farmers were immediately paid in accordance with the directive by President Edgar Lungu.
Mr Katambo said the Ministry of Agriculture would like to sincerely thank all the farmers who supplied maize to the FRA for their patience as they awaited for payment from Government. Thousands of farmers who supplied maize to the FRA have been waiting for payment. President Lungu said it was sad that farmers who supplied maize to FRA last year were not yet paid and directed the Minister of Agriculture to pay all farmers for the maize they supplied to the agency by Tuesday this week. The Head of State said this in Chisamba when he graced the sixth Agritech expo themed,” growing knowledge of the future” which attracted 223 exhibitors and 19 countries. President Lungu said Cyclone Idai that hit Mozambique and Zimbabwe should serve as a wakeup call to Zambia. He said climate change was real, as this could be seen from unusual rain patterns that the country was experiencing.
