Socialist Party (SP) leader Dr Fred M’membe says President Hakainde Hichilema should have paid farmers on time to secure a better exit, knowing that this is his first and final term in office.
Dr M’membe maintained that one of the most painful betrayals by President Hichilema was the failure to honour commitments to farmers, despite repeated assurances and a clear deadline of 10 January, 2026.
The Socialist Party leader observed that farmers have endured prolonged delays, with many in Southern, Copperbelt, and other regions waiting for days to receive their payments.
He pointed out that the government is fully aware that such delays disrupt the agricultural calendar, leaving farmers with insufficient time to plant once funds are disbursed.
Dr M’membe warned that these setbacks were rendering agriculture increasingly unattractive to small-scale farmers, a concern the Socialist Party intends to address as a priority once in government this year.
He emphasised that farmers and the wider Zambian public would remember the UPND administration not for the promises it made, but for those it failed to fulfil.
Dr M’membe lamented that those who fed the nation were left waiting, struggling, and disregarded.
He reflected that this failure would be etched in the memory of every household that went without, every field left untilled, and every community that relied on agriculture to survive.
Dr M’membe stated that come August, farmers will express their verdict through the ballot.
