Some bags of fertiliser, which were reportedly stolen in Sinazongwe District in Southern Province, meant for the poor and vulnerable but viable farmer households under the Food Security Pack (FSP) have been recovered.
A source has told Diamond News that the fertiliser was allegedly handed over to the Community Development department in Sinazongwe by one of its officers in charge of distribution.
Two days ago, Diamond Media aired a story where vulnerable farmers cried foul that inputs meant for them were not fairly distributed and that instead of getting three bags, they were only given one each.
The other bags were said to have been stolen.
The vulnerable farmers allege that the officer in charge of distribution used derogatory remarks when they followed up over the reduced number of bags.
The food security pack was introduced in 2000 by government as a social safety net programme, to primarily empower vulnerable but viable farmer households.
The community development department in Sinazongwe district is yet to issue a statement.
By Helga Chibwe