With the rains already falling, unpaid farmers in Fimpulu say they cannot buy fertiliser, seed or labour — putting their livelihoods and the next harvest at risk.
By Ennety Munshya, Frank Mwansa, and Robby Mofya
As the rains begin to fall across Zambia, fields in most rural communities are coming alive with activity. But in Fimpulu, a farming area in Mansa District of Luapula Province, the planting season has opened with unusual silence. Scores of small-scale farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) say they are stuck at home, unable to buy fertiliser, seed, or labour, because the agency has not paid them for crops delivered months ago.
“We are stranded. We don’t know what to do next,” one farmer said. “FRA is still holding on to our money.”
When government announced that FRA would purchase 543,000 metric tonnes of maize this year, farmers in Mansa were hopeful that timely payments would allow them to re-invest in their fields. But for farmers in Fimpulu, that hope has turned into anxiety.
Aaron Kasompe, 50, a small-scale farmer who has grown maize for nearly a decade, says the delay has plunged his family and farm operations into crisis. He sold 400 by 50kg bags of maize to the FRA in July. He had also acquired a Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility (SAFF) loan of K60,000, expecting to repay it immediately once FRA credited his account.
Instead, the delay has triggered a financial chain reaction.
“I can’t pay people to begin working at the farm because I do not have money. I am depending on the money that FRA is supposed to pay me for the maize I supplied to them. I saved some money in my bank account to enable me to kick-start farming this season, but that money has been withheld by the bank because my SAFF loan has not yet been settled,” Kasompe said.
The bank has now frozen his savings pending loan repayment, putting the planting season at risk.
Grace Nkandu, 65, who supplied 50 bags of maize, also fears for her family’s survival.
“We depend on farming to feed and provide for our family, but if we are not paid by FRA, how do we survive? We don’t know what to do. We are not working. The government needs to help us,” she said.
Nkandu had planned to diversify her field this year by planting cassava and groundnuts. Without her FRA payment, those plans are now impossible.
The Food Reserve Agency officially opened the 2025 crop marketing season in June, setting the buying price at K340 per 50kg bag. The initial target was to purchase 543,000 metric tonnes, at an estimated cost of K3.69 billion, through over 1,400 satellite depots.
But just months later, the agency’s expenditure had ballooned far beyond what had been planned.
According to a ministerial statement delivered by Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo on 4 November 2025, government’s increased share of maize purchases, driven by limited private sector participation and a national bumper harvest, had overwhelmed the agency’s budget.
“Due to the bumper harvest experienced in the 2024/2025 season and the limited participation of the private sector in maize marketing, government decided to increase its share of maize purchases,” Mtolo said.
As of 31 October 2025, FRA had purchased about 1.7 million metric tonnes, valued at K11.3 billion, above the original target.
This left an unexpected financing gap of K7.62 billion. To bridge the shortfall, FRA and government engaged commercial banks and secured a K5 billion loan facility intended to clear outstanding payments to farmers. However, the minister did not indicate when the agency would actually pay the arrears.
While Fimpulu farmers represent only a fraction of those waiting for FRA payments countrywide, their situation raises broader questions:
- How many farmers nationwide are affected by the delays?
- Why did FRA purchase over three times the planned volume without secured financing?
- What emergency measures exist to prevent delayed payments during peak farming seasons?
- What is the impact on national food security if farmers cannot plant on time?
For small-scale farmers, who produce the majority of Zambia’s staple maize, any delay in planting threatens the 2025/2026 harvest and could fuel future increases in mealie meal prices.
Several farmers interviewed said they now risk losing an entire season because they cannot buy inputs, hire labour, or meet loan obligations.
The ripple effects are already visible, seed and agro-dealer shops report reduced customer traffic, casual labourers are going unpaid, and families are being forced to cut their food consumption as they wait for FRA funds.
The Agriculture Minister has assured parliament that government is “doing its best to ensure the debt owed to farmers is paid within a reasonable timeframe.” But without a clear timeline, uncertainty continues to spread across farming communities like Fimpulu.
For Kasompe, Nkandu, and hundreds of others in Luapula, every passing day brings the fear that their fields will remain unplanted, and their families unsupported, long after the rains have settled.
National Association for Smallholder Farmers Executive Director Frank Kayula says the delayed payments show how volatility the agriculture sector is, making it difficult for the private sector to participate.
Kayula warns that the non-payment will slow productivity and ultimately reduce yields, driving up the price of the staple food and affecting the entire country.
He adds that it is unfair for government to collect maize from farmers without paying them, noting that many farmers depend on this income for their livelihoods.”
Produced by Radio Yangeni in Mansa for MakanDay. The article has been edited and fact-checked by MakanDay.
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