By Isaac Zulu
Ministry of Agriculture permanent secretary Green Mbozi has warned that the Ministry will ban cooperatives that will be found rationing farming inputs to small scale farmers.
Daily Revelation published a story where traditional leaders belonging to a cooperative complained of reduced inputs being given under Farmer Input Support Programmes (FISP).
But Mbozi in an interview, said the rationing of farming inputs to small holder farmers has no blessings from the Ministry of Agriculture.
“It is unfortunate that we have continued receiving such reports of small scale farmers that are on the Farmer Input Support Programme rationing farming inputs. We expected all the camp agriculture officers to do the right thing by giving all FISP beneficiaries the equal quantity of fertilizer and seed to small scale farmers,” Mbozi explained. “And I want to put it on record that these reports reaching us will not go unattended to, where some unscrupulous camp agriculture officers are giving small scale farmers farming inputs in low quantities. As a Ministry of Agriculture, we might not have the mandate to deregister cooperatives, but we can recommend that erring cooperatives be deregistered.”
He said the number of beneficiaries on the Farmer Input Support Programme have been increasing over time, which he said has led to an increased number of beneficiaries on the Farmer Input Support Programme.
Mbozi said that the number of beneficiaries on the Farmer Input Support Programme has risen to over 3 million from about 1.9 million beneficiaries.
Mbozi explained that, instead of sharing all the farming inputs amongst themselves, some leaders of cooperatives have found it prudent to share fertilizer and seed amongst themselves.
He also said the Ministry of Agriculture will take stern action against unscrupulous individuals allegedly selling fake and uncertified fertiliser and seed to small holder farmers.
“I can only alert and caution some farmers that during this season there are some unscrupulous traders selling fertiliser and seed resembling some original products of fertilizer and seed, when in fact not,” said Mbozi. “We have our own seed certification institute. And we would urge all the farmers to buy certified seed and fertilizer from those registered and certified institutions.”
Asked what authorities are doing to avert the continued sale of fake farming inputs, Mbozi said the Ministry of Agriculture, working with law enforcement agencies, are on the ground monitoring the situation.
“I can’t tell you much. But the fact is that we are working closely with law enforcement agencies to arrest the situation,” said Mbozi.
