State to review E-voucher showing
GOVERNMENT will review the performance of the Evoucher system in the distribution of Farmer Input Support Programme at the end of January.
Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary, Julius Shawa said the exercise is aimed at formulating ways in which the system can be enhanced to benefit the farmers.
Mr Shawa has also announced that over 840, 000 farmers have so far managed to use the E voucher platform to access their inputs for the 2017/2018 farming season.
Mr. Shawa attributed the challenge of accessing inputs by farmers on time to their delay in depositing their counterpart funding of K400.
“As a ministry we describe the E-voucher programme as a success though we have some challenges in terms of the farmers being slow in the depositing of their counterpart funding even after they were asked to start depositing in October last year,” he said.
He said the ministry announced the commencement of the depositing exercise in October and that they only received the first deposits mid-November.
Mr. Shawa noted that the competition among input distributors is stiff and that this has led to reduced prices that have benefited the farmers who are able to access more inputs from the FISP funding.
Mr. Shawa said over 10 seed companies and five fertiliser distributors are taking part in the distribution of inputs.