Zambia Minister of Information and Media Cornelius Mweetwa has reiterated that the government, through the Treasury, has released all funds earmarked for payments to farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
Mr Mweetwa, who also serves as Chief Government Spokesperson, said the government had fulfilled its obligation by disbursing the funds owed to farmers to banking institutions.
Speaking when he featured on the KBN TV programme The Big Hour, Mr Mweetwa indicated that all funds from the National Treasury had been transferred to banks for onward payment to the farmers.
He disclosed that banking institutions are still processing payments to farmers owed by the FRA. However, Mr Mweetwa attributed delays in payments to banking technicalities. He explained that long queues observed in some banks were a result of challenges within the payment system.
According to Mr Mweetwa, banks have reported difficulties in implementing modern and faster payment methods for farmers. He added that many farmers, particularly those from rural areas, are not fully familiar with the payment modalities.
Mr Mweetwa said he was pleased to note that the long queues previously seen at most banks had significantly reduced, with the remaining lines consisting mainly of the last group of farmers awaiting payment.
Meanwhile, the Chief Government Spokeperson predicted a bumper harvest for the 2025–2026 farming season, citing favourable rainfall received across the country. He noted that large tracts of land that had remained idle for years were cultivated this season.
