According to official Government data, Guideline 3.1 […]

According to official Government data, Guideline 3.1 of the 2025/2026 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) Electronic Voucher Implementation Handbook provides that the approved beneficiary list must be drawn from the existing national farmer register within ZIAMIS, with those not on the register automatically ineligible to participate.

Meanwhile, the report seen by the Zambian Business Times (ZBT) indicates that in 2025, contrary to the guidelines, 2,339 farmers whose details could not be traced on the authorised national farmer register redeemed inputs worth K19,647,400.

A further review shows that the irregular redemptions were concentrated in Muchinga and Luapula provinces, with Isoka recording the largest share at 1,343 farmers who accessed inputs worth K11,281,200.

Mpika accounted for another 995 unapproved farmers who redeemed inputs worth K8,358,000, while Mansa recorded one farmer who accessed K8,200 worth of inputs.

Speaking in an interview with ZBT, agriculture expert, Gilbert Banda said the latest findings point to persistent weaknesses in the administration of FISP, which is intended to support small-scale farmers.

Banda said the existence of farmers whose details cannot be traced in the authorised register raises concerns about how beneficiaries are identified, verified and approved to access subsidised agricultural inputs.

“When you hear about ghost farmers, it means there is a whole system involving the people given the responsibility to administer the programme, and those creating these ghost farmers may be the ones benefiting instead of the real farmers,” he said.

Banda added that the diversion of inputs to unverified beneficiaries undermines the programme’s purpose because resources meant to improve agricultural production and support genuine farmers can end up benefiting people who do not qualify.

He called for greater transparency in FISP administration, arguing that the government must strengthen controls to ensure only eligible farmers receive the inputs.

“With digitalisation, it should be possible to clean out these ghost farmers, and the people responsible for FISP just need to pull up their socks and begin doing the right thing so that the intended beneficiaries can benefit,” said Banda.

He described the reported irregularities as a setback to national development, saying public resources intended to strengthen small-scale farming should not be diverted through weaknesses in programme administration.

By Philip Sinkala