Fertiliser Company Blames Biti-Led PAC For Delays On Preparations For This Farming Season

Fertiliser, Grain and Seed (FSG) Ltd has claimed that the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee chaired by Tendai Biti (MDC) delayed its preparations for this year’s farming season.

FSG managing director Steve Morland says that PAC’s claims that the company received a US$400 000 payment under government’s Command Agriculture programme were misleading and damaging to the company’s reputation. He said:

Frankly, Honourable members, we feel we did not deserve the remarks and condemnation by your committee.

It is most unfortunate that this incident ended up being negatively reported in the press and has indirectly resulted in delays to the fertiliser programmes we are delivering under the Presidential input scheme.

Morland also denied that FSG received foreign currency and was not connected to the Command Agriculture programme as suggested by PAC saying they received part of the money in RTGS as well as through Treasury Bills (TBs).

His remarks come after PAC used former Accountant General Daniel Muchemwa’s testimony and Auditor General, Mildred Chari’s findings which purported that FSG was a Funeral Parlour and had received US$400 000 from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).

This is happening when the country is facing severe starvation due to El Nino induced drought and Cyclone Idai with observers saying that starvation could be prevented had the Command Agriculture money been put to good use.

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