Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have received the 2022 crop price set by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) with mixed reactions.
The FRA has pegged its maize purchasing price for the 2022 grain marketing season at K160 per 50kg bag of white maize, translating to a K10 increment from last year’s K150 for the commodity while the price for soya beans is K550 per 50kg bag from last year’s K500 and K200 per 40kg bag of paddy rice from last year’s K195.
Reacting to this development, National Union for Small Scale Farmers (NUSFAZ) Executive Director Ebony Loloji said the price is cost-reflective and will give farmers that may not want to sell to FRA an opportunity to export their produce at a much higher price.
For the Millers Association of Zambia President Andrew Chintala, the commodity price by the FRA is a fair price for both farmers and consumers and may lead to a downward trend in the cost of maize by-products such as mealie meal.
But Small Scale Farmers Development Agency Executive Director Boyd Moobwe is unhappy with the price set by the FRA in view of the cost of production that farmers incur and has urged farmers in the country to hold on to their maize until a much higher price is agreed on.
Yesterday, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) pegged its maize purchasing price for the 2022 Grain Marketing season at K160 per 50kg bag of white maize which translates to a K10 increment from last year’s price for the commodity.
Announcing the buying price for Maize, Soya beans and Paddy rice in Lusaka this morning, FRA Board Chairperson Kelvin Hambwezya says the agency has also fixed the price of soya beans at K550 per 50kg bag from K500 last year and K200 per 40kg bag of paddy rice from K195 last year.
Mr Hambwezya says FRA is targeting to purchase 170,000 metric tonnes of white maize, 1,500 metric tonnes of soya beans and 1,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice for this year to cushion the already available carryover stock of maize of 1,055,075 metric tonnes.
He has since assured farmers of prompt payments on a first come first serve basis.
Sure farmers are happy. But consumers are LESS HAPPY. And there are MUCH MORE consumers than farmers. Nobody is talking about those consumers???
This is a mockery will grow for consumption only
What do you expect under a failed government of under 5s
Didn’t somebody promise a floor price of K250?
Which somebody?
In criminal law we it fraud….. Obtaining something on false pretenses. Someone received votes on….
One would imagine that the best way to fix such pricing is through stack holder consensus. Olo ma Union na chakuti mwankala and agree on a price, and then announce basi!!
I rest me case.
These are the price FRA will by their said crops at across the country. Farmers are at liberty to find alternative markets with better prices. Looking at the estimated available stock during this marketing season, one needs to move quickly and secure a market before hell breaks loose.
It’s not as easy as you put it. Private buyers depend on what FRA offers. They have offered ten Kwacha extra so the private buyers will offer eleven Kwacha extra. Besides this the private buyers have a tendency of tempering with their scales.
KZ failed to pay for a simple sharwama at nadia’s longacres. Plus he was found with a side chick and ended up slapping my sweet Regina. KZ twalipitapo
What mixed feelings? It’s a bad deal for the farmer. We were selling per kg 2.8 Kwacha so the increase is just about fifty ngwee. Petrol has increased by more than fifty percent so what is good about this.
Hatembo is my side chick your f00Iish wlfe?
KZ mubi kwati ni I don’t know
Is this correct news? Reporters should be arrested fo misleading the public. UPND promised k250.. It cannot be 160. These are PF lies
Agriculture Minister reuben Mtolo is not serious with FRA. How can you keep a lawyer like Chola Kafwabulula to run and manage an important agricultural and science based institution for so many years? We have enough agriculture professionals to take up FRA management. No wonder FRA is poorly i performing and it is one of the unhappiest and vindictive work places in Zambia where workers live in fear whilst theft is rampant . HH should intervene
Us small scale farmers bought farming inputs at a higher price and this government price is a disgrace, comparing to the prices of farm inputs, the government should look into this once more.
The government should consider how much farmers bought the inputs
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