The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has u-turned and now confirmed that they will buy all the white maize that is already delivered at satellite depots. The agency has however asked for more time to deliver empty grain bags which is another fiasco that needs high level attention.
This follows complaints by mostly rural farmers who had travelled long distances to deliver their maize produce to depots only to be told that the agency had stopped buying and that it had met its target.
FRA Public Relations Coordinator John Chipandwe said the agency has noted the concerns from farmers that delivered their white maize to satellite depots countrywide and arising from that, the agency will immediately resume the purchasing of maize. He however did not disclose the quantities and value of funding that has been approved.
Chipandwe said the purchases will be restricted to maize already delivered to various satellite depots countrywide adding that no new deliveries will be bought by the agency as it was not buying anymore maize having reached its target.
According to information made available to the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Chipandwe said farmers have further expressed concerns that they may have no market for their delivered maize and that if the maize is not bought by the agency immediately with the onset of the rains, this may result in huge crop losses.
Agro Minister Mtolo Phiri announced that government had given a go ahead for an export quota of about 1.2 million tonnes, a move that is expected to encourage private buyers to go back and buy up more maize from the market.
And FRA has further urged farmers to exercise patience concerning the delivery of empty grain bags as the agency has continued delivering them as and when received from suppliers. Chipandwe noted that FRA bags take a bit of time to manufacture as they are special bags specially meant for long term storage of grain hence the seeming delay in the deliveries of the bags to depots.
