By ALICE NACHILEMBE
Farmer and farming activist Sunday Chanda has called on President Hakainde Hichilema to come to the rescue of small scale farmers across the country whom Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has condemned to squalor and destitution.
Mr Chanda who is also Kanchibiya Constituency Member of Parliament said Government through FRA had given the farmers a raw deal as they wait for the Agency to buy maize.
“Small scale farmers in Kanchibiya and across the country took their maize to FRA Depots close to two months ago. At the time FRA was experiencing a shortage of empty grain bags across the country.” He said.
He said that the new dawn Government informed the nation that FRA would continue buying maize up to October 31, 2021 and that they were also told by Government that FRA would buy an extra 300,000 tonnes.
Mr Chanda said that the farmers spent money to buy their own empty grain bags and to transport.
He also wonders where the farmers are expected to get additional money to transport back the maize to their homes.
Mr Chanda has since appealed to the Head of State to intervene by compelling FRA to buy the maize from the farmers for export purposes as a way of helping the farmers.
And Mr Chanda says the delay by Government to flag off the distribution of fertilizer and seed to farmers due to an audit taking place in the ministry is totally unacceptable as the rains are almost here.
