FRA assures the nation of food security

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has parried off fears that export of maize to neighboring countries would result into a deficit locally.

FRA Public Relation Officer Mwamba Siame told ZANIS in an interview that the agency is alert to the need to satisfy local consumption demands before seeking to make exports.

Mrs. Siame said in order to take care of domestic consumption, the agency has offered most of its maize stock to the local market by selling its maize at K40 000 per 50 kg bag.

Mrs. Siame further clarified that the agency was exporting maize from the old stocks that remained during the 2006/2007 marketing season.

She explained that the agency was fulfilling contractual obligations that the country received from Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

The Agency was in 2006 allowed to export the surplus maize to neighboring countries following the bumper harvest which the country recorded.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Siame said farmers in Petauke who sold maize to the agency would be paid after investigations on suspected irregularities are completed.

She said investigations were on-going on the three isolated depots namely Lusinde, Muluzye and Monde where irregularities were identified in the purchase of maize.

Mrs. Siame said the agency has since cleared most of the debt owed farmers who supplied the agency maize during the 2006/2007 marketing exercise.

She said the agency is only remaining with about K3 billion for two districts namely Petauke and Nakonde where they were some irregularities.

Last Month, Eastern Province District farmers chairman Fashion Botha had complained that the agency stilled owed farmers in Petauke , Nyimba , Chadiza , Chipata about K6 billion .

He expressed fear that non payment of farmers would effect food security in the district as framers could not procure farming inputs on time.