Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka has distanced himself from a Facebook account under his name, which he believes is being used by fraudsters to dupe the unsuspecting public.
In a recent press statement, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development said: "We wish to inform the public, stakeholders and concerned parties about a Facebook account impersonating the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Honourable Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka.
"The fake Facebook account bears the name Hon Anxious Jongwe Masuka and is being used by unknown individuals to deceive the public and extort money under false pretences."
The statement said the Ministry wanted to make it unequivocally clear that Dr Masuka has no Facebook account and is not, in any way, soliciting for funds or any form of financial contribution through social media or any other online platform.
It added that activities associated with this fraudulent account were illegal and intended solely to mislead and defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
The public is, therefore, being notified that all official communication from the Ministry or the Minister himself, is issued through official communication channels such as the Ministry's website, as well as accredited print and electronic media.
"The Ministry regrets any inconveniences that could have been caused by the fraudsters and appreciates the public's vigilance and co-operation in combating such scams," read the statement, adding that the Ministry had since engaged law enforcement agencies to address the matter.
These impostors, read the statement, seek to disrupt the Government's 2024/25 summer plan, which is based on the strategies and measures for drought mitigation and resilience building and was approved by Cabinet on May 27 this year.
The summer plan is meant to operationalise the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS) and is informed by the Cabinet-approved "Drought Strategies and Measures for Mitigation and Resilience Building" covering the crops, horticulture, fisheries, livestock and irrigation subsectors.
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It is the implementing mechanism for the strategies and measures for resilience building. The proposed crop production target envisions an increase in the output of cereals from 744 271 tonnes last season to 3 274 200 tonnes this time around marking a 340 percent increase.
