TANZANIA>>>45bn/- paid to maize farmers - Minister

Stephen Wassira, Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives

The government has spent a total of 45bn/- for paying maize farmers, the National Assembly has been informed.

 

 Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives Stephen Wassira told the National Assembly yesterday during questions and answers session, that more funds are expected from Treasury to ensure that all the farmers get paid.

 

Wasira was responding to a question by Namtumbo Legislator (CCM) Vita Kawawa who wanted to know the reasons for the delays in paying farmers for the grain they sold.

 

Responding, Wasira said in a period of three months from January to March this year, the government had paid the farmers at least 45bn/-.

The minister stressed that there is no discrimination or favouritism in paying farmers as claimed by others. He said every farmer got what he deserved.

 

Earlier, Masasi Legislator Maryam Kasembe wanted the government to respond to the farmers’ call to get their payments in cash because the current warehouse system had caused a lot of inconveniences to the farmers including delays in payments.

 

Responding, Wassira told the National Assembly that due to the situation of farmers in the country, they (farmers) cannot wait for the warehouse receipt system.

 

He said following such revelations, the government communicated with financial institutions in order to provide them with money that can help to pay farmers on time.

 

Responding to the same, Deputy Minister for Agriculture Food Security and Cooperatives Godfrey Zambi said there are a lot of challenges facing the warehouse system.

 

Zambi mentioned some of the challenges as loss of produce, delays in getting payments and high operational costs.

Zambi told the House that the government in collaboration with other stakeholders has started to address the challenges with the purposal of improving the warehouse system.

 

The Deputy Minister added that in an effort to improve the system, the Warehouse Receipt (Amendment) Bill, 2014 will be tabled in the ongoing 19th National Assembly meeting in Dodoma.

 

Meanwhile, following the bumper harvest experienced in the country last year the government has appealed to individual traders and agencies to buy and export surplus maize.

 

The government through the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) has this season targeted to purchase only 40,000 tonnes from the entire zone which comprises Ruvuma, Iringa, Njombe, Rukwa and Mbeya regions.

 

With lot of surplus maize and rice which the National Food Reserves Agency (NFRA) could not afford to buy the government has entered into contract with the World Food Programme (WFP) to buy at least 200,000 tonnes of maize.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN