FRA Will Find It Hard to Meet Maize Targets - CTPD

The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) says the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will find it extremely difficult to purchase the targeted one million metric tonnes of grain during the 2019/20 marketing season. 

In May this year, Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo announced that Zambia had recorded a bumper harvest of 3,387,369 tonnes of maize. 

However, CTPD Executive Director Isaac Mwaipopo says a recent spot check by his researchers revealed that several shed in Kaoma and Congwe districts remained empty, even after the FRA started purchasing grain. 

Mr Mwaipopo said his organisation had also heart form several farmers, who are unhappy with the base price of K110 per 50kg set by the FRA. 

He said that despite government promises to purchase grain on a cash basis, many farmers believe they will still have to wait for a long period to receive they payments this year.

The CTPD has therefore recommended that the government insider raising its base price to a more competitive level. 

Mwaipopo added that there was an urgent need to convince farmers that the FRA would pay them on time this marketing season, as has not been the case in previous years.