By KASONDE KASONDE
GOVERNMENT has released an additional K168 million to banks for the 241,000 farmers in the Electronic voucher system (e-voucher) for the 2015-2016 farming season.

. Ng’onga

Agriculture Deputy Minister Maxas Ng’onga said Government released K168, 700,000 to top up on the K337, 400,000 million budgeted for the farmers under the e-voucher programme.
Initially, the farmers were supposed to have received K1, 400 each, but would now receive K2, 100 each.
“Government has released an extra K168, 700,000 for the 241,000 farmers on the e-voucher system for the 2015-2016 farming season to enable them collect farming inputs worth K2, 100 instead of the earlier K1, 400,” Mr Ng’onga said.
Government, last October, placed more than 241,000 farmers in 13 districts under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) on the e-voucher system for the 2015-2016 farming season.
Mr Ng’onga said the issuance of e-voucher cards had been concluded and that the farmers, who had not yet received the cards, were those who had not yet paid the K400 contribution.
He said his ministry had made a lot of progress last week to ensure that all the farmers received the cards before the end of this week.
All the banks engaged to produce the e-voucher cards for the farmers had been equipped for the programme and were issuing out the cards.
Mr Ng’onga said his ministry was working together with the Zambia National Farmers Union  to carry out sensitisation programmes on the e-voucher system.
He called on the farmers that had not yet received their cards to go to their respective banks and pick them up.