LOAD E-VOUCHER CARDS, STATE TELLS FARMERS

By MAILESI BANDA GOVERNMENT has advised farmers to load their Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), E-voucher cards with the required K400 to receive their inputs for the 2017/2018 farming season on time.

Ministry of Agriculture, permanent secretary, Julius Shawa said Government had already started paying for the inputs of those that had managed to load their cards with the funds.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, Mr Shawa said during this year’s farming season, Government was not going to contract any fertiliser or seed supplier but would allow all agro dealers in the country to compete in the distribution of the inputs.

“We have already told the farmers to start loading their cards with the K400 before the Government can load with the K1700 and enable them receive their inputs on time, and am glad to announce that we have already started loading some accounts with the required funds,” Mr Shawa said.

He explained that banking institutions where producing over 400 new E-voucher cards meant for the farmers that did not receive their cards during the last farming season.

Mr. Shawa explained that the ministry was working with six banks and two financial institutions in making sure the project was successful.

He disclosed that the banks where ready to receive money from the farmers for the government to release their contribution to the FISP.

“The national suppliers of fertiliser have been tasked to place their fertiliser in designated parts of the country. In the new process, government does not procure seeds or fertilizer the suppliers are placing their inputs across the country for the farmers to procure them,” he said.