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The government has assured farmers in Eastern Province applying for the Smallholder Agriculture Fertilizer (SAF) loan facility that no eligible applicant will be left out.
Chipata District Commissioner, Elidah Mwanza, cautioned farmers against buying application forms, emphasizing that the government was not selling them.
Mwanza made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing farmers at the Chipata District Agriculture Coordinator’s office.
Chipata District Agriculture Coordinator, Victor Ndhlovu, reported that the registration of farmers into the Zambia Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (ZIAMIS) was progressing well.
The ZIAMIS platform, developed by the Electronic Government Division under the SMART Zambia Institute, streamlined the E-voucher process to ensure timely access to essential farming inputs before the rainy season.
“Despite overwhelming demand, the process is running smoothly in Chipata District,” Ndhlovu said.
He added that plans were underway to engage more banks to ease pressure on Natsave Bank, which has been overwhelmed by the high number of applicants.
During a visit to Natsave Bank, Mwanza observed long queues of farmers submitting loan application forms and noted that the bank may struggle to process all applications within the given timeframe.
Farmers have since appealed to the government to expedite the loan disbursement process, as the rainy season has already begun.
Meanwhile, Natsave Bank’s Acting Manager, Solomon Nyirenda, urged farmers to exercise patience after completing the registration process to allow others to access the loan facility.
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