North-Western Province Minister, Robert Lihefu has implored farmers in Mufumbwe District and the province to sell their maize to Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in order to help easy, the looming hunger situation in the country. 

Mr Lihefu who is also Manyinga Member of Parliament revealed to ZANIS in an interview that FRA will be paying farmers immediately they weigh their maize at their depots.

“FRA has enough money to pay farmers immediately their Maize is weighed at the respective depots,” he said.

Mr Lihefu said selling maize to FRA is so profitable because that is where the government gets part of the commodity to give citizens as food for work and give some of it to vulnerable people in various parts of the country.

He said the government gives maize back to the people from what it buys through FRA.

“The recent distribution of FRA maize has been categorized as 20% for vulnerable citizens and 80% as food for work,” he said.

The North Western Provincial Minister further announced that the government has flagged off the distribution of maize meant for food for work in Mufumbwe district and the Province at large.

And Mr Lihefu has warned beneficiary farmers of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) against selling their maize to briefcase buyers stating that they risk being blacklisted from the programme.

“We know that other maize buyers are here and we shall compete with them as government by buying maize through FRA, but remember, those farmers who will sell maize to briefcase buyers and are on farmers input support program will risk being removed from the FISP program”, he said.

The Minister reminded farmers that the government puts them on such a program so that they are able to sell their produce to the state through FRA.

Meanwhile, Mufumbwe District Commissioner, Elijah Munyompe said he was very disappointed to see some farmers sell their maize to briefcase buyers in the District.

“When I was going around the district to check on some teachers’ performances in some schools, I met some farmers selling maize to briefcase buyers which was very disappointing, especially after experiencing bad yields due to drought,” he said.

Mr Munyompe stressed that his office was concerned as briefcase buyers have never and will never help farmers with food, especially this time when the country has been hit by hunger due to drought.