Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba has today announced the release of a cumulative K1 billion to ensure active participation of the Food Reserve Agency in the 2020 crop marketing season and facilitate attainment of national strategic food reserve requirements.
FRA is expected to disburse the K1 billion funding to farmer paying financial institutions in various districts so that farmers who meet the necessary documentation and scrutiny requirements for the delivered crops, receive payments, accordingly.
During the 2019/20 agricultural season, Zambia experienced a favourable rain pattern to the delight of rain dependent small-scale farmers. Despite the floods and sporadic fall army worm outbreaks in certain areas of Central, Eastern, Luapula, Northern and Southern Provinces, the country has recorded a total production of 3,387,469 metric tonnes of maize in the 2019/2020 season from 2,004,389 metric tonnes in the 2018/2019 season.
This represents a production increase of 69%.
These figures were recently announced by the Minister of Agriculture Micheal Katambo.
At the beginning of May 2020, the FRA had carry-over reserves standing at gross physical stocks of 82,982.02 metric tonnes of non-GMO white maize, 73 metric tonnes of soya beans and 3.64 metric tonnes of paddy rice – for consumption, relief, and emergency purposes.
To assess the strategic grain reserve situation, President Edgar Lungu visited Food Reserve Agency depots in Lusaka, on 29th April 2020.
He then declared the immediate need for FRA to purchase 1,000,000 metric tonnes of maize to replenish the current strategic grain reserves.
“This funding is a response to the guidance of the President and the crop purchase strategies of the Ministry of Agriculture through FRA,” Mr. Yamba has said.
As Treasury, added Mr. Yamba, “we join His Excellency the President in expressing sincere gratitude to our hardworking farmers for increasing crop production in the 2019/2020 season. For us, this is an important indication that the country will have sufficient stocks of food until the next harvest in 2021. We also join the Ministry of Agriculture in urging our small-scale farmers to reserve enough grains to see them through to the next harvest. Unless households are food secure, national food security will be compromised. This is why small-scale farmers should properly apportion their harvest between consumption and sell, where possible.”
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The FRA is definately a good concept for food security and it’s good that they’re getting financial support by government. However, what is being done to transform Zambia’s agriculture to the next level? There won’t be good rains every season. There must be a strategy to support Zambian farmers in hard times and enable them to play a role in the global food supply chain.
I think East Africans are ahead of us in this game. You will find tea, coffee from Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in German shops but you won’t find anything from Zambia. Why?? Whether in mining or agriculture, let’s not just be contented with the extractive function but also get the full value of our products at global markets.
Another overpriced wasteful procurement scheme that only benefits the elite …if we had a serious President and not one who only loves flying and campaigning this issue would have been looked into by a commission of inquiry so we can review the procurement and tender process even FRA itself…too much money lost through corruption!
Nine Chale – You asking why? Really laughable did you ever hear of schemes like Winter maize by govt of Mwanawasa and Mundia Sikatana …you know the answer but you choose to be “objective” so you can cower away like a snail that has bumped into a salt patch in its path. Dont raise issues you know you are too much of a coward to point out the real problem.
This is timely help for our agriculture sector.
Patriot Abroad – GRZ always releases funds for this what is so special now…you have been reduced to applaud myopia and mediocrity!!
There is something I don’t understand about this FRA monster. Year in and year out they receive huge grants ( or are they loans?) from government to buy crops, which crops they sell at a profit or at least on cost covering basis. Surely FRA should bbe self sustaining at some point? Is FRA a bottomless pit?
Tarino go to hell and go fight your imperialist masters there in UK who view you as an ape in clothes
Sorry I dont respond to silly impostors especially one based in the UK pretends to be Zambia and claims to be using VPN which is stuck in one locality for 5 years.
Where’s the sinking fund Mr Fredson Yamba?
Nemwine – The sinking fund sunk with all the money in it…these people cant save for anything just look at Lazy Lungu useless as they come!!
Tarino Orange, u hv left me in stitches.