Finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane says farmers who supplied their 2024-2025 produce to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will receive all their outstanding payments by January 10, 2026. Clearly, this is one matter that has been one of the major talking points in the country. Rarely has such a thing happened where farmers have gone for this long a period without receiving money for their supplies. One Catholic Father Mukosa has said in our edition today that the same happened because of the government’s failure to plan. He further went on to say that farmers have been seeking financial help from him to cultivate their fields during the ongoing rain season, as the money which should have served as capital has not come forth from the government. The only notable thing from the government over this matter is the promise to clear the outstanding dues before January 10, 2026. However, the chaotic manner they have handled the exercise clearly shows that they did not plan at all for the exercise. This will have far reaching implications going into the future, including lost time on the part of the farmers to plan for the 2025-2026 farming season, which has come with very excellent rains. In the event the country enjoys another positive yield, those in government should keep in mind that the yield could have actually been much more if they had planned properly. And on account of the lost timing, more households will actually be plunged into poverty as the money will be coming to them well past the planting season. Some may not even enjoy the money as they could potentially be paying back the loans, at high interest, that they could have acquired to do the planting. There is also another element where trust in the government from the farmers may have ebbed out somehow, which may result in them finding alternative markets for their produce in future, even from some unscrupulous traders, to avoid passing through a similar situation again. And because this is a chain reaction, that action alone may further pose a risk on the food security situation in the country. Clearly, those in government have not covered themselves in glory in terms of how they have handled this matter. They will need to immediately put in place concrete steps that will assure the nation against a repeat of this sorry incident. This is one matter that needs addressing through tangible actions rather than promissory notes.
By Daily Revelation Editor
Finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane says farmers who supplied their 2024-2025 produce to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will receive all their outstanding payments by January 10, 2026.
Clearly, this is one matter that has been one of the major talking points in the country. Rarely has such a thing happened where farmers have gone for this long a period without receiving money for their supplies.
One Catholic Father Mukosa has said in our edition today that the same happened because of the government’s failure to plan. He further went on to say that farmers have been seeking financial help from him to cultivate their fields during the ongoing rain season, as the money which should have served as capital has not come forth from the government.
The only notable thing from the government over this matter is the promise to clear the outstanding dues before January 10, 2026. However, the chaotic manner they have handled the exercise clearly shows that they did not plan at all for the exercise. This will have far reaching implications going into the future, including lost time on the part of the farmers to plan for the 2025-2026 farming season, which has come with very excellent rains. In the event the country enjoys another positive yield, those in government should keep in mind that the yield could have actually been much more if they had planned properly.
And on account of the lost timing, more households will actually be plunged into poverty as the money will be coming to them well past the planting season. Some may not even enjoy the money as they could potentially be paying back the loans, at high interest, that they could have acquired to do the planting. There is also another element where trust in the government from the farmers may have ebbed out somehow, which may result in them finding alternative markets for their produce in future, even from some unscrupulous traders, to avoid passing through a similar situation again. And because this is a chain reaction, that action alone may further pose a risk on the food security situation in the country.
Clearly, those in government have not covered themselves in glory in terms of how they have handled this matter. They will need to immediately put in place concrete steps that will assure the nation against a repeat of this sorry incident. This is one matter that needs addressing through tangible actions rather than promissory notes.
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