The Food Reserve Agency -FRA- will buy a 50 kilogram bag of maize at 65 Kwacha for the 2018 crop marketing season, a five kwacha increase from last year.
FRA Board Chairman Joe Simachela says the price has been arrived at after a wide consultation with stakeholders among them Zambia National Farmers Union and Millers Association of Zambia among others.
Addressing the media in Lusaka today, Mr. Simachela said the agency will only buy about 5-hundred thousand metric tons of white maize as part of strategic food reserves and advised millers to go in the market and buy maize because the agency will not supply them.
He said the agency has set the crop marketing season to begin on or before August 1st which is expected to see the moisture content drop to 12.5 percent from 13.82 percent as at July 12th.
Mr. Simachela says the agency already has 3-hundred thousand metric tons remaining from last year’s reserves in its storage shades.
He said government is committed to releasing funds on time to pay farmers within two weeks of supplying maize to FRA depots for the exercise expected to cost slightly over 1 billion kwacha.
The FRA Board Chairman had also revealed that the agency will this year only buy maize, Soya beans and paddy rice because of budgetary constraints.
And FRA Chief Executive Officer Chola Kafwabulula says the agency will face some tough time buying maize considering high prices that are being offered in neighbouring countries coupled with a drop in maize production from over 3 million metric tonnes last year to the anticipated 2 point 3 million metric tonnes for the 2017-2018 crop forecast survey.
And National Union of Small Scale Farmers of Zambia Director General Frank Kayula says his association expected the price to be 80 kwacha for a 50 kilogram bag of maize instead of 65 Kwacha.
He says the FRA price is low considering various changes in the economy.
Dr. Kayula says he expects most farmers to look for alternative markets instead of the FRA and may abandon maize for other crops going forward.
And Millers Association of Zambia President Andrew Chintala says his association was part of the consultations and have already moved into the market.
Mr. Chintala says the moisture content in most provinces has already dropped to 12.5 percent.
He says millers annually buy over 1 point 8 million metric tonnes of maize for human and animal consumption.
Paya farmer at its best. What is K65 you lumpen? Just allow farmers to export their hard earned produce, after all your e-voucher system was and has always been a disaster of humongous proportions. This cantankerous and hullabaloo attitude is alien as it is detrimental to the farming community. Its in short, a loollapaluza of deception. PF’s agriculture policy are at variant with modern initiatives and are diametrically opposed to their manifesto. Let the farmers sell their maize to the highest bidder without hindrance instead of subjecting them to another maize scam in Malawi, malabishi.
$6 for the full 50 kg bag of maize??? This is what turns Sinkamba crazy.
How much can ZNS get from 50 kg of marijuana?
This is not acceptable. The minimum amount should have been around K100.
I think the government should lift the export ban on maize and let market forces dictate because at this rate, the hard working farmer feeding this nation is being massively short changed. Someone where is squeezing profits to his benefit.
Totally appalling.
When Sinkamba labeled maize as a “poor man’s crop”, and maized-based agriculture as “manga-manga” agriculture, we teased him and called him all sorts of names. Three season ago, a bag of maize was K85. Then K80. Then K75. Then K70. Now, it is K65. Next year, it will be sold at K60. Meanwhile costs for inputs have trebbled
A 25kg bag of breakfast is at K80 and you want a 50kg bag of maize to sell at K65? What a great betrayal this is by the govt and ZNFU to the greedy fat Greek thieving millers who have destroyed farming in Zambia . May this betrayal come back to haunt them. Do they not have advisors? Which farmer will take maize which is on demand to FRA only to be paid K65 after 2 weeks or 2years? May God curse these cretins and their offspring accordingly for killing poor farmers. Zambia cry for your children have let you down again!
It will NEVER be president in Zambia!
The 50Kg sack has been president of Zambia since 2015 .I’m surprised you did not know.
“Unpackaging tribalism is not tribalism coding tribalism is tribalism,” Sharon
FRA, a group of serious jokers! what nonsense is this?? Only fools will sell their commodities to this good for nothing government. I mean, if an individual is buying 50 kg of maize at k 80.00, why would you waste your time taking your hard-earned commodity to fra…
Please enlighten me.
FRA are buyers right?
So, how does the buyer set the purchase price without the consent of the seller? I don’t understand this.
Could all the farmers ask to be respected for their labour and produce by withholding the sale of their maize? Let’s see where FRA’s arrogance will take them.
Concerned citizen.
A peasant farmer has not got that luxury to withhold maize ..bills need to paid, they are not lazy thieves like those in State House
It’s ridiculous! They would be better off selling to cash buyers who will pay more than that price. The other thing is even the ones that will sell to FRA won’t get their money before the new season. It’s utter madness and discouraging for the small scale farmers.
FAR just say you don’t have the money to buy this maize and hence the low offer to discourage farmers from bringing maize to you.Let them just export like goats to saudi arabia
Really sad…you better off selling it in DRC or exchange it with Malawi Gold if our brothers and sisters in Nyasa-land are broke.
Sad as it may be – can anyone tell me here whether it is possible to have a high price for maize but a low price for mealie meal? The problem is that in Zambia, maize is a political crop – everybody wants to at least eat Nshima everyday.
This is not good how could you float that price K65 does it make any sense you are even proud of announcing it you politicians do not mean well to the people of Zambia. Wait and see 2021 i think we are tired with pf i will never vote for you again have even told my entire family never to vote for pf. If not that then get ready for voter apartheid i can assure you that we are tired with you guys.
This is not good how could you float that price K65 does it make any sense you are even proud of announcing it you politicians do not mean well to the people of Zambia. Wait and see 2021 i think we are tired with pf i will never vote for you again have even told my entire family never to vote for pf. If not that then get ready for voter apartheid i can assure you that we are tired with you guys.
They say” as Pf government we want to make sure the country diversify and not only laying on copper but also in agriculture” what is this kind of nonsense? At no it’s not the government, then why there’s ministry of agriculture? Encourage farmers not this nonsense,
Valid concerns. But the issue is that we diversify within the sphere of agriculture. Meaning it’s too much of nsima and dependence on maize, let’s grow more of other crops which have lower input and better returns than maize, like 20% maize 80% other, instead of 80% maize and 20% other.
For example:
50kg bag of maize =K65
1 ton = K1,300
The price of soya ranges between K3,000 to K5,000 per ton across the country. Taking K4,000 as the average, 50kg bag of soya =K200
A peasant farmer can grow maize for consumption while growing soya for a lucrative income.
Dont mind them, they are just testing the waters. They are likely going to increase after an out cry
Government is making the offer of K65 per 50kg bag, and it is up to the farmer whether to accept or reject the offer. However, if Government cannot offer better than K65, it must allow the farmer free reign to take his produce to better markets anywhere else (including beyond the borders) without the Government imposing restrictions such as export bans which in effect leave the farmer with no choice but to sell to Government or elsewhere locally at ridiculous prices.
Is it unfortunate to be Zambian?I am not proud to be Zambian pantu in Zambia kuwayawaya fye.
Choose another country, like Somalia for example. There would be more than willing to approve your citizenship.
Political maize!
Firstly, bulk of maize produced in Zambia is by small scale farmers and boy, do they produce inefficiently – hoe digging, planting by hand, ” uke sekwila by hoe, and manual harvesting! it’s tough! But it would help tremendously if their produce is left out of the clutches of the Millers. These are the vultures standing ready to exploit and they are many and ruthless – like the ” mankole’ (crows). But of course, their evil twin is the opposition – eager to also exploit the situation. truthfully , the price of a 25Kg of processed grain / cereal of at less than 30 cents per Kg must be the cheapest in the world! But increase the farmers selling price, and the miller will jump to it, the opposition will also cry out for the ” exploited consumer”. Contain the farmers…
I do rather give my pigs & Chickens