Kaoma District Agricultural Coordinator (DACO), Chabalanga Ng’ambi has urged the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to expedite the process of paying farmers within 72 hours as stated by President Hakainde Hichilema.
Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Ng’ambi said while some farmers have received their payments within the stipulated period, others have waited for weeks.
“The situation on the ground is mixed and the delays are as a result of the gaps in the payment processing system,” he said.
Ng’ambi explained that the transition between digital and manual processes is creating bottlenecks in the transmission and approval of farmers’ payment details. According to him, depot officials still compile farmers’ names and submit lists through processes that are not fully digital, slowing down payments.
“When a farmer’s maize is received, he starts counting and some farmers reach three days without their names having been processed beyond the depot level,” said Ng’ambi.
He told ZBT that the high volume of maize deliveries is also putting pressure on the system, as the rate at which farmers sell their maize is not matching the speed at which payments are processed. Ng’ambi added that the verification and scrutiny of documents remain necessary to prevent fraudulent claims, but called for FRA to strengthen the manpower handling the process.
“It is a management issue and FRA may need to “beef up staff” responsible for processing and approving farmer payments,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ng’ambi said his recent interaction with farmers in the field confirmed that some were still complaining about delayed payments despite FRA announcing billions of kwacha in payments.
“I am also urging farmers to verify their details on the FRA system before delivering their maize because incomplete verification can cause further delays at the point of sale,” he said.
Ng’ambi stressed that timely payments are critical to maintaining farmers’ confidence in the crop marketing system and ensuring that producers can immediately reinvest in their farming businesses.
Article by Philip Sinkala
