Govt withholds payment for fertilizer transporters
by DEBORAH CHIPOFYA - Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 14:44:12

Government is withholding payment for transporters whose trucks failed to deliver subsidized fertilizer at agreed depots.

The development comes in the wake of reports that some truck drivers and Admarc officials are conniving with businessmen and selling whole truck loads of the cheap fertilizer, which is most times smuggled out of the country.



In an interview earlier in the week Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Frank Mwenifumbo, said government would not pay any transporter believed to have misappropriated fertilizer meant for the Farm Input Subsidy Programme.



He said transporters were responsible for the smooth delivery of fertilizer to agreed points and if any one of them fails to deliver they would not get their payment.



One Lilongwe based transporter, Rahim Hamdani of Hamdani Transporters however pushed the blame to the drivers of the trucks whom he claimed are conniving with Admarc officials and businessmen to sell truck loads of fertilizers in transit.



He claimed that those Admarc officials who connive with drivers forge Goods Received Voucher (GRV) documents and pretend that goods have been delivered when they have in fact not been delivered.



“The drivers bring back the fake GVR to us pretending that they delivered the goods when they in fact did not. When we take the documents to government we are told that our trucks did not deliver fertilizer and our documents are forged. Government in turn refuses to honour our invoices,” said Hamdani.



Hamdani said in his case government is refusing to pay him about K35 million because four of his trucks carrying government fertilizers were stolen.



He said he had partnered with his son and nephew, who are also transporters on the contract to deliver the fertilizers.



He said each of the trucks was carrying 600 bags of fertilizers worth K5.4 million (commercial price) and the total cost of the fertilizers on the four trucks was K21.6 million.



“Now government is asking me to pay back this K21.6 million. Where I’m I going to get the money, it’s not my fault that the fertilizer got stolen en route. Government should tighten security on trucks carrying subsidized fertilizer and they must at least have security personnel on the trucks,” said Hamdani.



But Mwenifumbo said truck drivers are answerable to their bosses and the owners of the trucks must ensure that the cargo is indeed delivered.



“In fact we are even thinking of arresting those transporters whose trucks did not deliver,” said Mwenifumbo.



Mwenifumbo did not however immediately have details of how much money is being withheld as regards payment for transporters.



He referred this reporter to the Principal Secretary for Agriculture and Food Security the details but the PS could not be reached for comment.



Police have since arrested some individuals and Admarc officials in connection with stealing subsidized fertilizer.

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