INTERNAL squabbling among the staff appointed to run the Government’s National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP) is keeping K100 million away from farmers and possible ranchers.
Rural Industries Council (RIC) chairman Brown Bai is calling on Agriculture and Livestock Minister John Hickey and his Department Secretary Anton Benjamin to take control of the plan and ensure that NADP had “fit and proper” people running the show.
Mr Bai said at the moment, anyone calling the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) for information on the NADP was being given the “runaround”, or the DAL officers they speak to either don’t know anything, or just do not want to have anything to do with the NADP.
“This is a clear demonstration that all is not well with the implementation of the programme despite recent assurances by the Government through Treasurer and Finance Minister Patrick Pruaitch that things would be sorted out.
“The RIC has just been informed that some of the staff appointed to manage the NADP are at loggerheads with each other.
“Some of these officers are even openly rebellious against the person appointed to head the NADP,” Mr Bai said.
“While this in-fighting is going on, farmers and growers who have submitted project proposals for funding are waiting in vain for answers, and the Government’s promise to revive the agriculture industry is looking more and more like it will become just another the promise without fruition,” he said.
“The agriculture sector is much too big for any personal ego.
“And the people of this country, 88% of whom now live in rural areas, should not be held to ransom by a few with self-interests,” Mr Bai added.
He said the RIC and its members, who are the big players in the sector, appreciated the Government’s stated intentions and supported it.
“But the Government itself has to discipline its officers so that the rural population can benefit from the K100 million allocated in the Supplementary Budgets of 2006/2007, and the 2008 National Budget,” Me Bai said.