News / National
Biti exposed
27 Aug 2019 at 16:04hrs | Views
The chairperson of the Public Accounts Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, Tendai Biti has been exposed for lying under oath after claiming that government paid US$400 million to a bogus fertiliser company FSG without justification.
The company came under the spotlight this Monday amid accusations by the Biti led the committee that it received the money under the Command Agriculture Programme while operating from a mortuary.
However, a visit by reporters to the company's fertiliser plant in Bindura showed no dead bodies but over 31 000 tonnes of fertiliser meant for the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme raising questions on whether the committee had done its homework.
"We were surprised to hear and see a clip circulating that we do not exist, to make the record straight here is FSG, we produce 50 percent national fertiliser requirement. Our biggest customer or taker is government that is we have been supplying the bulk of the presidential free inputs, since 2015," explained Steve Morland FSG Managing Director.
Asked if the said US$400 million was received as alleged by Biti, the FSG Managing Director dismissed the accusations as a cooked up figure meant to tarnish his company business and the image of the government.
"The point is we made an arrangement where we were paid Treasury bills and RTGS money, using our lines of credit so what was said is not true," he said.
The company has set a target to supply over 200 000 tonnes of fertiliser and has already started distributing the commodity for the 2019-Presidential Free Inputs Scheme.
When ZBC arrived at the plant several trucks were being loaded destined for farmers registered under the government free inputs scheme.
The company came under the spotlight this Monday amid accusations by the Biti led the committee that it received the money under the Command Agriculture Programme while operating from a mortuary.
However, a visit by reporters to the company's fertiliser plant in Bindura showed no dead bodies but over 31 000 tonnes of fertiliser meant for the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme raising questions on whether the committee had done its homework.
"We were surprised to hear and see a clip circulating that we do not exist, to make the record straight here is FSG, we produce 50 percent national fertiliser requirement. Our biggest customer or taker is government that is we have been supplying the bulk of the presidential free inputs, since 2015," explained Steve Morland FSG Managing Director.
Asked if the said US$400 million was received as alleged by Biti, the FSG Managing Director dismissed the accusations as a cooked up figure meant to tarnish his company business and the image of the government.
"The point is we made an arrangement where we were paid Treasury bills and RTGS money, using our lines of credit so what was said is not true," he said.
The company has set a target to supply over 200 000 tonnes of fertiliser and has already started distributing the commodity for the 2019-Presidential Free Inputs Scheme.
When ZBC arrived at the plant several trucks were being loaded destined for farmers registered under the government free inputs scheme.
Source - zbc
