FARM input agents will soon start receiving payments for their claims on which the government is finalising verification, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced here yesterday.
The Premier told the National Assembly
that the amount that the government owes to the agents had been reduced
to 6bn/- from 36bn/-, thanks to tight verification, which revealed that
the amount had been inflated by 29bn/-.
“We will clear all the debt but it is
critical to verify the claims... the work continues and we are in the
final stages. It has so far been established that out of the 36bn/-
lodged claims, only 6bn/- is genuine,” Mr Majaliwa said in his answer to
a question from Devota Minja (Special SeatsChadema) who wanted to know
when the government will pay the farm input agents.
He decried dishonesty in the supply of
subsidised inputs, saying the government was compelled to halt the
payments, pending verification. He said the government would take stern
disciplinary and legal measures against civil servants found to have
colluded with the agents to inflate the claims.
“Stern measures will be taken against
all government servants who were involved in the scam,” said the Prime
Minister, adding that the genuine claims will be cleared.
Mr Majaliwa said May 31 was the deadline
for the verification, hinting that the authentication report has been
sent to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries for final
processing.
Last April, the Premier suspended
Assistant Director of Inputs in the Ministry of Agriculture Shenal Nyoni
over alleged inflation of farm input costs. The director is alleged to
have colluded with agents to inflate the costs of agricultural inputs
for personal gains.
The premier announced the suspension at
his meeting with agricultural inputs agents and officials from the
ministry. The Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries,
William Ole Nasha said in Parliament last month that about 28bn/- debt
the government owes farm input agents in eight regions was mere forgery.
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