THE Food Reserve Agency(FRA) has purchased 540,069 metric tonnes of maize translating to 10.8 million bags from farmers in the country.
FRA Executive Director Chola Kafwabulula said yesterday when he announced the latest purchase of maize from farmers valued at K810 million.
Mr Kafwabulula said the highest purchase was in Northern Province were the FRA purchased 110,000 metric tonnes followed by Luapula with 66,000 metric tonnes.
He said the payment of farmers who supplied their white maize to the agency was going on well adding that the Government was expected to released K200million towards the payment.
“We have so far bought 540,096 metric tonnes of the white maize from farmers translating to 10.8 million bags in the whole country,”he said.
He said FRA part three of its mandate of supply relief food to the floods,droughts and natural disaster was so far working with the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit(DMMU).
Mr Kafwabulula said FRA inconjuction with DMMU has supplied maize to Lundazi District in Eastern Province,Chama valley in Muchinga province,Sikongo,Nangweshi and Shangombo in Western Province.
He said relief food had also been supplied to Bangweulu Swamp in Luapula province and Gwembe valley in Southern Province.
He said FRA had alot of maize stock to supply the relief food to the needy areas.
So now even Northern and Luapula Provinces have become the largest market for FRA!!!
I think this is due to the rainfall pattern in the last marketing season where the Northern part of Zambia was not affected by the partial drought. It could also be due to the fact that areas like copperbelt and eastern province have more private buyers than Northern and Luapula. Going by what transpired in the last marketing season, am sure the farmers in the other areas were sceptical selling maize to govt through FRA. Whatever the reason, the good news is that overall, the whole country has enough food.
The southerner farmers were busy with ajanza kumbele when the other provinces were busy in the fields hoping that when hh wins he will give them relief maize. This can be seen from the way southern voted against other regions. Kikikiki. Just kidding
You are all liars! Fra said they bought more maize in northern not that northern produced more,you ask the ministry of agriculture for production figures,kalomo alone produces more than northern and muchinga combined,that maize is sold to millers direct due to easy logistics.:
Ba FRA please don’t sell ALL the maize in order to catch up with lost revenue in terms of FOREX. Sooner than later there will be hunger in Zambia considering, the ‘El Nino’ being expected in the southern parts of Africa this year. K810m ($80m) is peanuts considering the time/inputs farmers have endured