INFORMATION and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana has refuted claims that government has no funds to pay farmers.

Speaking during the “Mind Your Business” Podcast, Monday, Kawana said delays by FRA to announce the maize floor price were procedural.

“Then farmers in terms of FRA announcing the price, it is not true to state that government has got no money and that’s why FRA is not announcing. That is not correct. Over the years since inception, from the time FRA was formed, someone should tell me one time when FRA announced the price that it was going to buy without opening the buying season. That’s just how it’s done. You open and you say now we have begun buying and we are buying at this price. How do you say we are not buying but the price is this? We can’t do that. And then the FRA also is guided by the law. That’s what many people don’t understand. It is the law that guides FRA, that FRA buys food for national security in terms of strategic reserves and they are guided by the law,” he said.

“The maize that they buy should have moisture content that is 12.5 percent and below. Anything above 12.5 they can’t buy. The law does not allow them. And that is why you saw that private buyers at some time rushed and bought a lot of maize from the farmers which was not dry enough. What did we end up having, aflatoxins. People’s inability to listen, thinking you are clever. Just follow the rules. People should not worry. It is coming down. Remember that they said it is hovering around 13. So now if it’s coming down it means it’s coming to the point. If FRA is buying at 12.5 and it is 13, we are just remaining with 0.5 percent. It’s coming soon. What is the worry? What is the hype? No, I’m sure the President said announce now and then they said sir just a little while it’s at 13 percent. So then they will be allowed to do the right thing. Farmers should not worry. Never worry.”

And asked on how the government plans to address issues of delayed payment of farmers, Kawana said government had already made plans to ensure farmers are paid in two days.

“I think you saw last time I went on the ground when there were delays. I went to visit banks to appreciate why there were delays. We went to ZANACO and all the other banks. I went to Chisamba, Kabwe and different places just to understand what was going on. And really it was nothing but procedural and due diligence to ensure that the wrong person is not paid. And people were being paid but because the number also was huge and also the due diligence was taken in time. That was a learning curve for us,” he said.

“So this government now says we should not go that way. So what we should do now is to front load the money. So we know what we are buying, so we get the money and front load it. So now there will be no more going to the bank. As a farmer you take your maize, you deposit it there, they write down everything. You walk away. Two days later you receive your money. All they are doing at FRA when they get your details is to ask what names come when you are receiving your money. That’s it. Nobody is going to the bank.”

He indicated that farmers were happy with the government as could be seen by the increased maize production of up to five million tons.

“Let me tell you this. When you see farmers being able to be given a good price for their yield, and they sale their maize to FRA and they are paid their money. Yes delayed but paid their money. After paying them their money the following season they produce five million metric tons of maize. Never seen before since independence. And you sit there and tell the farmers are not happy, they are dancing,” he said.

And asked to comment on concerns that the UPND government had not reduced the price of fertilizer and that people were sharing fertilizer in medas, Kawana said it was not government policy for people to share fertilizer.

“There is no government policy that allows people to share fertilizer or farming inputs. What is happening is that as the groups get their share when they go back to their people, they sit down and they share. So like you get and then your brother comes and your cousin comes and you say let me give you some also you go and plant. That’s what is happening,” said Kawana.

“It’s not a government policy that government says you come here go and share, no. The people after they get their share from government which is the whole pack, they take that and go and share with their people, their family and friends. But can we sit here and call that a bad system, because now I’m seeing when they went back and shared and also the agricultural extension officers were doing their work showing the families how to get a greater yield per Lima, we have reached 5 million. So the measurement of whether farmers are happy and whether the agriculture support programme is working must be seen in the result. What is the result, the yield.”