President Hakainde Hichilema has apologised to farmers for delays in payments for maize delivered to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), attributing the setback to higher-than-expected purchases and slow digital payment systems. On Tuesday, Chief Government Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa assured farmers that FRA payments are expected to be concluded by Saturday, explaining that the delays were caused by challenges with mobile money services and other digital payment platforms. Addressing a rally in Choma , President Hichilema said the government had initially budgeted to purchase 500,000 tonnes of maize but later increased the volume to about 1.6 million tonnes to protect farmers from exploitation by private buyers.
“Farmers who have not been paid yet, that is a decision I made. We had only budgeted for 500,000 tonnes, but we ended up buying 1.6 million tonnes,” President Hichilema said. He explained that the decision to exceed the target was meant to ensure farmers had a ready market and were not forced to sell their produce at low prices.
“We did not want you to have no market for your produce, and we did not want people to give you lower prices. Now we have balanced our numbers well and farmers will be paid very soon. Some are already getting paid right now,” he said.
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The President apologised for the delays, saying government was working to resolve the matter. “We are working on this issue and we apologise that you were delayed. If I have done something wrong, I accept and I apologise for that,” he said.
He attributed part of the delay to slow banking and digital payment services, noting that government was taking steps to improve the system going forward. President Hichilema also said government was exploring export opportunities, including exporting mealie meal to Angola, as part of efforts to stabilise the maize market and support farmers. He urged farmers and citizens to continue supporting the UPND, describing the 2026 general election as important for sustaining the government’s development agenda.
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