Over 900, 000 farmers deposit FISP contributions

By SILUMESI MALUMOABOUT 945, 666 farmers have deposited the K400 contribution to start accessing farming inputs for the 2020/2021 agriculture season, Minister of Agriculture, Michael Katambo, has said.And Mr Katambo has assured agro dealers that Government has put in place modalities to ensure that they are paid promptly during the agriculture season.The minister said progress had been made by the farmers in ensuring that they deposited their contributions.He said the 945, 666 farmers who had made their contributions were out of the one million targeted farmers under the Farmer’s Input Support Programme during the 2020/2021 agriculture season.Mr Katambo said this in a ministerial statement in Parliament yesterday, and appealed to farmers who had not made their contributions to do so that they can collect farming inputs.“I am appealing to farmers who have not deposited the K400 to ensure that they do so, they shouldn’t wait until rains start for them to make contributions.“And I want to inform the house and the nation that during the 2020-2021 agriculture season, the Farmer’s Input Support Programme will be undertaken in two models, electronic voucher system and direct input supply.“Under this programme about one million farmers will be targeted across the country,” he said.And Mr Katambo said his ministry and the Ministry of Finance had put in place modalities to ensure that agro dealers were paid promptly.He said that during the 2020/2021 agriculture season there would be no anomalies in paying the agro dealers.Mr Katambo said that the K400 contribution made farmers were sufficient to pay all agro dealers who would be engaged this coming season.