06 Dec 2017

Mahalapye crop production office has apologised for delayed payments of contracted tractor owners under ISPAAD as a result of shortage of funds.

Crop production officer for Mahalapye Sub-district, Mr Alexander Letebele said in the past payments were delayed due to shortage of staff and network glitches.

He said this recently at Mahalapye while addressing farmers and tractor owners that the office was in the process of increasing its manpower to ease the payment process.

Funds permitting, Mr Letebele said, the office was prepared to pay them on time.

Despite the challenge, he appealed to tractor owners to not despair and continue assisting farmers to plough their fields.

Mr Letebele said tractor owners and farmers were equally to blame for delayed payments. He noted that they failed to provide the office with the required documents.

“You are reluctant in signing and providing the requisite documents”, he added.

Mr Letebele said the purpose of the gathering was to urge farmers and all concerned stakeholders to prepare for the current ploughing season and iron out challenges experienced in the past.

He said the meeting would focus on observations from his office and those from tractor owners and farmers.

“We are concerned by low yields,” he said, adding that the inception of ISPAAD in 2008 was primarily aimed at improving food production.

“We wonder where the challenge is and therefore, I believe your contribution will assist in coming up with solutions,” he added.

He said through ISPAAD, farmers  were assisted with fencing material, fertilizers, seeds and the actual ploughing.

Mr Letebele said another issue of concern was whether tractor owners were doing enough to ensure that ISPAAD becomes a success.

Mr Letebele said past experience was that some of the contracted tractor owners had been accused of failing to monitor tractor operators which lead to substandard work.

He said some failed to set planters accordingly leading to overcrowded seedlings.

“You do not monitor tractor operators, all you are concerned about is getting paid for a work that will not produce the desired yields,” he said.

He said farmers were also to blame for the poor yields as they connived with tractor owners as they approved payments even though not satisfied with the job.

Mr Letebele said there were unconfirmed reports that farmers and tractor owners agreed to some unscrupulous behaviour and swindled government millions through falsified claims.

Mr Letebele said it was unfortunate that ISPAAD was running out of funds as some money was obtained through fabricated means.

Mr Letebele also said there were rumours that farmers who refused to authorise payments for shoddy jobs got blacklisted by tractor owners.

Mr Letebele also said his office delayed in training tractor operators.

He stated that some tractor operators failed to plough as per the required standards.ENDS